Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve unveils AI-powered identification system

Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve in Tai Po has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) system to identify over 220 butterfly species pn Hong Kong, aiming to enhance conservation work with greater efficiency and reduced manpower.

Situated in the valley behind the 300-year-old Hakka village of Fung Yuen, the reserve initially hosted 70 to 80 species. Over the past two decades, this number has increased to over 220, representing 90 percent of all butterfly species found in the city.

Yau Wing-kwong, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Association that manages the reserve, noted that the new system can currently identify 10 species including Danaus genutia, with increased accuracy than visual comparisons using reference books.

The association aims to expand the system’s capabilities to recognize 245 species within two years, he added, noting that it will be made public once it operates smoothly to allow citizens to upload photos of butterflies to identify species and obtain related information.

Yau said the system will also be used for conservation analysis at a later stage, with cameras installed in butterfly gardens to capture images of butterflies.

“The system will then tell us how many species have been there, as well as their relationship to the plants and the environment,” he said.

Additionally, the AI identification system is funded by the latest round of the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme, which has approved 50 projects with total funding of approximately HK$270 million by the end of 2024.