Xoni Ma has been working in the field of conservation and environmental education for ten years. Xoni holds a bachelor degree in Ecology and Biodiversity from the University of Hong Kong. He received his PhD in environmental education from HKU with his thesis titled “Field-based teaching and learning in environmental education: a case study on official curriculum in Hong Kong”.

In 2007 Xoni became the Chairman of Environmental Life Science Society, SS, HKUSU, which is one of the active student green groups in Hong Kong. In 2010 he worked under Dr. Billy Hau in the School of Biological Sciences, HKU and he has been a coordinator and tutor in programmes for secondary and university students, leading overseas ecology field trips to countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. During 2011 to 2015 he was one of the major Field Researcher and Environmental Educator for the project “Global Forest Observatory: Public Involvement and Training in Scientific Research in Hong Kong”, who designed, implemented and led different environmental education programmes for secondary school teachers and students.

In 2014, Xoni founded the “Take Action! Youth Biodiversity Conservation Leadership Training Scheme” with his colleagues, which is an environmental education programme for local secondary students. The programme ran successfully for four consecutive years from 2014 to 2017, reaching a total of 302 students from 43 secondary schools.

After receiving his PhD in 2106, Xoni set up his own non-profit organization, Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong (OWLHK), that aims at promoting the development of environmental education in Hong Kong. As the Founder and Education Director, he plans and oversees all education programmes and activities. He is now also a part-time lecturer, traching courses in life science and biodiversity at Lingnan University. In recognition of his contributions in environmental education, Xoni received the “HKU 2015 Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award” and “Roadshow ECO Star Award 2016”.