Fifteen projects have been approved in the 2022-2023 round of grant awards from the Lantau Conservation Fund, unleashing total funding of about $50 million, the Government announced today.

The latest round of approved projects includes two conservation management projects, in Yi O and Luk Wu, five research projects, and eight education- engagement projects.

The projects cover biodiversity, animal ecology, farmland ecology, terrestrial vegetation ecosystems, village culture, religious culture and coastal defence history.

The $1 billion fund aims to raise community awareness around conservation on Lantau by providing financial support to eligible organisations and post-secondary educational institutions to conduct research and education-engagement projects.

Eligible institutions may also use the grants to collaborate with local communities and landowners to carry out conservation and related projects on Lantau.

Since the fund’s launch in 2020, a total of 46 projects, involving around $140 million in funding, have been approved.

Applications for the 2023-24 round will open by the end of this year.