Benoit Guénard is all smiles as he walks around the exhibition, a showcase of more than 10,000 species, the largest biological specimen collection in Hong Kong. An associate professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s school of biological sciences, French-born Guénard has every reason to be happy: it is the opening day of the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum. Located in the Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building, at HKU in Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island, it is the first museum in the city dedicated to biodiversity, and the culmination of years of hard work. When Guénard arrived in Hong Kong, in 2014, he was surprised that there was no wildlife biobank, a type of repository for species’ samples for use in research. “Being one of the region’s biodiversity hotspots, it seemed odd for a prosperous city like Hong Kong to not possess a structure dedicated to education about biodiversity and the preservation of the numerous species that can be found here while enhancing research,” says Guénard. “It didn’t have a large specimen collection displaying the diversity of species within Hong Kong and abroad so the public can fully realise the richness and beauty of the organisms that surround us. “This is particularly important in Hong Kong, where most people live in heavily urbanised environments and whose connection with nature and the diversity of the species encountered may not be fully appreciated.” And there’s a lot to appreciate in Hong Kong: more than 3,300 species of plants, 57 species of mammals, over 540 species of birds, 198 species of freshwater fish, 86 species of reptiles, 24 species of amphibians, 236 species of butterflies and 123 species of dragonflies; the list goes on. Guénard says there are potentially thousands of species in Hong Kong that are waiting to be discovered , or even to be described as new to science, making access to local collections key in their discovery and to studying them. “Hong Kong is ideally located for the establishment of a biodiversity museum to serve a major role in education about biodiversity and some of the fundamental questions associated with it: What is it? Where is it? What is it composed of? Why is it important? How does its erosion affect us?” he says. Species in the museum come from both polar and tropical regions as well as deserts and oceans, with several collected decades ago now considered to be threatened and on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. “We have about 100 specimens that represent species considered to be threatened, including 20 that are critically endangered, 28 endangered and 50 vulnerable,” he says. “Some of those include several turtle species, a Chinese alligator, pangolins and the Chinese giant salamander.” Guénard says many of the museum’s specimens were collected by HKU between the 1940s and ’80s. Others were donated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, and local natural historians. “Because of a lack of curators over several decades, some of the specimens had been scattered in different locations, sometimes under conditions that were not optimal for their preservation,” he says. For Guénard, every species is remarkable, with each having a story to tell, but if he had to pick a favourite, he says it would be an insect . “Despite representing more than half of all species on Earth, insects are some of the least understood groups in science and by the general public. Yet, they have incredible biology, which, for whoever takes the time to look at them or study them, is astonishing. “We also wanted to showcase species that are unknown to the public or too small to be noticed by most people. We wanted to show them through a new angle or magnification so their beauty and complexity can be revealed.”