Moses Tsang, co-chair of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Council, has spent the last 20 years championing impactful investments and community collaboration to protect the planet
What inspired you to become an advocate for environmental conservation?
In 2002, I was invited by a dear friend, Victor Fung, to meet with someone from an organisation called The Nature Conservancy (TNC). I was quickly inspired by the mission of TNC: to conserve the land and water on which all life depends. When TNC invited me to see their work in Yunnan, I immediately accepted. It was then and there that I understood deeply what TNC sought to achieve: to protect our most precious places. I saw how conserving nature can enhance our quality of life. For example, by providing people in a village with a biogas stove for cooking, they would no longer need to walk for hours into the forest to chop down trees to use as firewood for cooking and warmth. These villagers could spend more time on their studies and recreational activities.
As a former banker and now an investor, my investment principles are guided by two key factors. First, I seek investments that drive positive impact—whether it’s environmental, through renewable energy, or supporting female entrepreneurs and start-ups. I believe investments should be a force for good and make a tangible difference in the world. Second, I look at the people involved. They need to be honest, dedicated and collaborative. That’s why I have invested so much into TNC. Its mission aligns with my values.
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Co-chair of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Council Moses Tsang (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong / Zed Leets)
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What are the goals you aim to achieve in your role?
The goal is to inspire action among my peers and the next generation and to protect our future. Given the scale and urgency of the climate crisis, we need to act now and fast. We need big solutions to these big problems and we need all the help we can get. At TNC, we are leveraging our expertise, resources and networks to empower our communities to stand with TNC in the fight to combat our biggest challenge yet—climate change.
How do you engage local communities in your conservation efforts?
Our work in Hong Kong to restore oyster reefs is a great example. Development, over-harvesting and pollution have ravaged Hong Kong’s once-abundant oyster reefs. TNC is deploying its science, shellfish restoration expertise and strong partnerships to bring back Hong Kong’s living reefs. Working with the local community, we have successfully deployed four reefs [artificial reefs are used to mitigate environmental damage]—to demonstrate how such initiatives can increase biodiversity while supporting local livelihoods in highly developed areas. TNC has also established a shell recycling programme that supports this work, educates consumers and helps to reduce Hong Kong’s waste burden.
Tell us more about the TNC’s annual fundraising gala.
Thanks to my gala co-chairs Jennifer Yu Cheng [group president and deputy vice chairwoman of CTF Education Group] and [famed wine critic] Jeannie Cho Lee, as well as TNC trustees, supporters and partners, we had a great event to kick off TNC’s 2030 goals.
They are: to remove or sequester three gigatons of CO2 each year— equivalent to all the car emissions in the US and China; to protect four billion hectares of ocean—ten per cent of our abundant seas; to protect 650 million hectares of land—a land mass that adds up to the size of India twice over; and finally to protect one million kilometres of river systems and 30 million hectares of lakes and wetlands—enough river length to stretch around the globe 25 times.
