Butterflies offer climate scientists ecological insights

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has started to use biological indicators, such as butterflies and birds, to monitor and predict nationwide environmental changes.

The program will involve the participation of 53 colleges and institutes across the country, and the statistics collected will be used to analyze climate change and its impacts on vegetation.

"The biological indicators, including certain kinds of insects and birds, feed on just one kind or a few kinds of plants," said Li Zhaohui, director of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University's Institute for Applied Ecology.