CUHK’s School of Life Sciences is leading Hong Kong’s first synchronised butterfly ecological survey involving both secondary school and university participants. The programme covers 28 secondary schools and eight universities across Hong Kong’s diverse urban and suburban districts, empowering youth as citizen scientists to collect valuable first-hand data for local ecological research and conservation efforts.

Part of the Research Grants Council (RGC) Research Impact Fund project “EarthBioGenome Project Hong Kong: Butterflies and the Next Generation of Scientists”, the programme is coordinated by Professor Jerome Hui Ho-lam from CUHK’s School of Life Sciences, in collaboration with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve and seven other local universities. Launched in 2025 to gain a more comprehensive understanding of butterfly distribution and seasonal changes in urban environments, the research engaged students to conduct systematic weekly observations and recordings around their campuses, collecting valuable information on butterfly activity in Hong Kong.

In support of the survey, CUHK recently held the “Symposium on Secondary School Butterfly Survey in Hong Kong”, at which participating secondary school students presented their pilot findings. Across 719 surveys conducted between October 2025 and July 2026 at various locations in Hong Kong, participants have observed more than 6,000 individual butterflies. Butterflies from all six families were observed, and the pieridae was found to be the most abundant/common family, accounting for approximately 40% of all recorded individuals. These data collected from school campuses and local communities help researchers better understand the distribution of particular species in less-surveyed areas, enriching knowledge of local biodiversity.

Professor Hui said: “The most valuable aspect of this programme lies in connecting universities, government departments, conservation organisations and secondary schools, bringing scientific research beyond the laboratory. We are very honoured to join hands with different partners to advance complementary research lines in parallel, developing a novel way to understand biodiversity while encouraging more young people to participate in scientific research.” The research team has announced that the next round of training workshops and surveys will begin in September this year, and CUHK will host a major academic conference early next year to present the survey findings and progress on butterfly genome research.