Secretary for the Environment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, Edward Yau, said Wednesday Hong Kong has 240 butterfly species and more than 98 percent of them can be found in country parks and other protected areas.

Yau told the city's lawmakers that important habitats for butterflies, such as Siu Lang Shui and Fung Yuen Valley, are listed as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The HKSAR Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has been conducting habitat management.

In areas like Shing Mun Country Park and She Shan, the department has grown host plants for rare butterfly species such as Golden Birdwing, Common Birdwing and Common Rose, and has enhanced the breeding success of these species, he said.

According to the department's observations, there is no evidence to show the number of butterfly species is decreasing at Lung Kwu Tan which has previously been illegally excavated.