“A lot of people speak for the poultry industry but wild birds do not really have a voice.” – how Martin Williams gives birds a voice and why ecotourism not only screw up places.

Dr. Martin Williams, Writer, Photographer, Conservationist, Hong Kong, P. R. China

We imagined Hong Kong as a huge, busy, flat city full of skyscrapers – that’s it. But it turned out that there is much more to it. “Hong Kong is no mere city; this is a many-splendoured place, with rugged hills, hiking trails criss-crossing country parks, an interna-tionally renowned wetland, waterfalls in secluded ravines, fine places to eat in gorgeous surroundings, islands set in the South China Sea...” – Martin Williams poetically describes his home. And it is this natural diversity that excites him and motivates him to promote and protect it.
Dr. Williams is a writer, photographer, hiking guide and a specialist in bird watching. He lives and works in Hong Kong and is active in numerous areas to conserve the region’s envi-ronment and wildlife. Among others he pub-lished a hiking guide, he is working on a map of Hong Kong that will include places of interest for outdoor tourists, and he runs a website promoting outdoor Hong Kong.

Enjoy reading some of his thoughts in the selected quo-tations below and you may be able to read more in our book “MyImpact”.

Dr. Martin Williams’ selected quotations:
“We should try to leave the world the way it was before we came, or even better.”

“It’s awful if we end up destroying the world. I think it’s a human duty to do something against it.”

“A lot of people speak for the poultry industry but wild birds do not really have a voice. Maybe I can fill this gap.”

“I want to create awareness and tourism around the environment in Hong Kong. Ecotourism can screw up places but it can also save them by demonstrating the value of protecting habitats.”

“It is difficult to convince the local tourism organisation to promote the natural side of Hong Kong. They focus more on shopping, skyscrapers and now the new Disney Land. That’s one reason why I try to concentrate my efforts on online publication.”

“I am exited to work with a friend on the film “Explore wild Hong Kong”. Since it will be screened on Cathay Pacific flights, we hope that it will attract tourists’ attention to this other side of Hong Kong.”

“Sometimes I publish stories about people in the environ-ment or conservation area. It gives me satisfaction to talk and write about people doing good things and I have the feeling that it helps their projects to be known to the public, and contributes to the conservation of the envi-ronment.”

Some background on Dr. Martin Williams:
Born in Great Britain, Martin Williams was fascinated quite early by birds and spent a lot of time observing them. Wanting to learn some-thing practical, he studied chemistry in Cambridge while looking for the right job for the future. A good writer and photo-grapher, Dr. Williams spent some time researching and documenting bird life in China and then Hong Kong, where he stayed and worked as a hiking and bird watching guide. He is an outspoken conservator, has authored a hiking guide for Hong Kong, runs the website www.hkoutdoors.com, and is working on an outdoor tourism map. Dr. Williams is also a member of the Sustainable Tourism Taskforce set up under the Business Environment Council in Hong Kong.

Some background on HK Outdoors:
Hong Kong Outdoors was founded by writer, photographer and wildlife enthusiast Dr. Martin Williams, who has lived in Hong Kong (mainly on Cheung Chau) since 1987. Martin has written numerous articles and books on the wild side of Hong Kong, covering activities from hiking to birding, and places from Fan Lau in the southwest to Tung Ping Chau in the far northeast of the territory. On the site HK Outdoors, which he began in spring 2004, he presents information on escaping the city, plus news and views on wild HK.
The aim is to encourage more people to explore Hong Kong beyond the city, so becoming an "ecotourist", and helping to protect some of the threatened yet still mar-vellous natural areas. It should also boost awareness of problems facing wild Hong Kong, and to increase support for conservation.

If you would like to engage with the work of Dr. Martin Williams or get to know more about his work please visit www.drmartinwilliams.com, or to get to know more about Hong Kong’s other side visit www.hkoutdoors.com,
or, for more specific opportunities, contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.