We are happy to add Hong Kong Moths as a new partner of National Moth Week. Hong Kong Moths is part of the Asian Lepidoptera Conservation Group/Symposium, an informal “connecting” organization for Lepidoptera conservation in Asia.
Moth observations from Hong Kond are collected through the Hong Kong Moths iNaturalist project.
There are three main focal areas that data submissions are of importance:
1. to assist with the local conservation assessment of all moth species in Hong Kong; this is ongoing now for the Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (BSAP) process.
2. There is no complete checklist of species for Hong Kong – Dr. Roger Kendrick (NMW Science Advisory Board member) published a list in 2004, which has not been updated since. All new records contribute to the improvement and updating of the Hong Kong Moth checklist.
3. The data gathered is part of long term monitoring moth species’ response to climate change at a regional scale, investigating in particular species that are newly documented for Hong Kong, which have previously only been known from more tropical areas (Such as South-East Asia, Indochina and other areas).
The more data there is contributed, the better the resolution of understanding. To date, Hong Kong Moths on iNaturalist has generated almost 2,000 records towards the causes. Some of these records include first sightings of species in Hong Kong (including some species not yet identified). The goal for the iNaturalist project is to get up to 5,000 records on by the end of the year!