Eco race for butterfly effect

Hong Kong's first Butterfly Garden Certification Program was officially launched yesterday to mark the National Ecology Day.

The organizer - the Environmental Association Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve - said the program aims to certify gardens where schools, communities and institutions cultivate habitats that foster butterflies to reproduce in the hope of enhancing biodiversity in Hong Kong.

Gardens are evaluated on three aspects: institutional vision and commitment, construction of butterfly habitats and their ecology, and maintenance of gardens.

Participating institutions get professional advice on effective and sustainable maintenance of gardens, which become part of the "international butterfly network."

Approval takes around six months, and institutions need to renew certification annually. Around 60 to 80 institutions have received assistance in setting up gardens.

The push for butterfly gardens across Hong Kong has taken in malls, schools and hotels been carried out in line with the "butterfly effect - point-line-plane" concept.

"Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve aims to provide a backbone for the 'point-line-plane' concept through the program. We created ecological spots suitable for butterfly habitats in different locations, and these spots form an invisible line, connecting different 'lines' to create a large-scale network, expanding the butterfly's habitat," said chief executive Yau Wing-kwong.

Establishing butterfly gardens in schools and communities has a significant impact on users as well.

Schools can utilize gardens as classrooms, allowing students to be steeped in the natural ecosystem and learn about butterflies.

The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Logos Academy is one such school.

"The butterfly garden makes learning science more interesting, breaking the boundaries of textbooks and enabling us to observe nature and learn firsthand," said Tse Tsz-hei, one of its primary four student.

"It has also deepened my appreciation of nature as I increasingly value and cherish the wonders of the natural world."

The reserve also plans to collaborate with institutions and schools across the border to expand the network to 16 locations in the mainland.

One such location is a natural trail in Pingshan, Shenzhen, where a natural museum is being built.