Environmental protection authorities have launched a butterfly monitoring project in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province to evaluate biodiversity and predict extreme weather throughout China.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has initiated a nationwide project in which butterfly populations are monitored as indicators of environmental changes, including weather patterns and climate change, according to Jinling Evening News.

"Butterflies can react to environmental changes faster than birds or other insects, and they have been recognized as highly sensitive indicators of environmental changes," Li Zhaohui, a professor at Nanjing Xiaozhuang University who has been studying local butterflies for several years, told the newspaper.

According to Li, butterflies have developed a stable relationship with the climate over the course of their evolution. By analyzing the structure, variety and dynamics of butterfly populations, researchers can better explain how climate change affects ecosystems.

Zijin Mountain and Niushou Mountain in Nanjing have been selected as primary pilot monitoring sites for the project, the report said. Statistics have shown that there are about 180 types of butterflies in Nanjing.

"The monitoring sites will be located all over the country, as long as they are natural conservation areas or biodiversity hot spots," said an expert from the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, adding that researchers from 53 institutions will contribute data to the project.