Sands China Supports Biodiversity for 'City Nature Challenge'
Team member activities encourage engagement and action
(Macao, May 9, 2024) – Sands China recently organised a series of activities aimed at educating, inspiring and raising awareness of the City Nature Challenge (CNC) among team members and the local community in April. Through talks, field trips and a biodiversity photography competition, the company aimed to motivate participants to actively engage in citizen science activities to contribute to the collection of biodiversity data in Macao.
On April 11, Macao scientist Leong Chi-Man gave two seminars at The Venetian® Macao to around 120 participants about the importance of biodiversity and its relationship to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the role of green spaces in maintaining the ecological balance of urban areas. After his presentation, Leong led a BioBlitz activity, guiding participants to explore and record the different plants, animals, insects and birds around the hotel's green belt. The hands-on activity helped deepen participants' understanding of local biodiversity and the green belt, encouraging them to actively participate in data collection for the CNC. Secondary and university students and staff interested in environmental science, biology or sustainable development, as well as members of the public, were invited to participate in the event, in hopes of inspiring them to become conservationists of the local environment through rich discussions and hands-on activities.
Sands China also organised two outdoor parent-child field trips last month. On April 13, Leong led 33 Sands China team members and their children on another BioBlitz activity, this time on the Hac-Sa Reservoir Family Trail – providing them with on-site, interactive guidance on how to explore and record the biodiversity of Macao's ecological zones. The activity sought to encourage them to organise similar activities for their children in their daily lives, helping them to develop physically and mentally and building up a positive environmental awareness.
During the four-day CNC, Sands China held a Biodiversity Photography Competition for Sands China team members, which took place simultaneously in hundreds of cities around the world April 26-29. It challenged them to observe their environment and use their mobile phones to record the organisms around them and upload them to the iNaturalist platform. The best submissions will receive a MOP 300 voucher to use at eco-friendly shops.
The above-mentioned series of activities have added nearly 3,000 species observation records to Macao, of which more than 700 are wild species, adding to the record of organisms in Macao and making a positive contribution to local scientific research and conservation work.
Sean McCreery, executive vice president of operations for Sands China Ltd., said: "Sands China is very pleased to organise these activities in support of the City Nature Challenge, in line with our Sands ECO360 global sustainability strategy. Biodiversity has emerged as an increasingly important ESG topic and our company will continue to develop and refine strategies that minimize the environmental impact of resort operations and protect the local ecological environment."
These existing initiatives include the company's sustainable seafood programme, which has eliminated shark fin from the company's supply chain, and the Drop by Drop Project, which involves reinvigoration of local water ecosystems and engagement activities that bring team members into nature for a greater understanding of their role in limiting biodiversity loss.
Sands China's environmental sustainability efforts are part of the Sands ECO360 global sustainability strategy of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp. Sands ECO360 is designed to utilise measures like energy saving, resource recycling, conservation and community engagement in order to help minimise the company's environmental impact and lead the way in sustainable building development and resort operations. More information about the programme is available at https://www.sands.com/responsibility/planet/#our-program-sands-eco360.
Photo caption: For the series of City Nature Challenge activities organised by Sands China, Macao scientist Leong Chi-Man led two outdoor parent-child field trips, providing them with on-site, interactive guidance on how to explore and record the biodiversity of Macao's ecological zones.
Photo caption: Sands China held a Biodiversity Photography Competition for Sands China team members, which took place simultaneously in hundreds of cities around the world April 26-29. It challenged them to observe their environment and use their mobile phones to record the organisms around them and upload them to the iNaturalist platform, thus adding to the record of organisms in Macao and making a positive contribution to local scientific research and conservation work.