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Malaysia

Among the most multitudinous of invertebrates, butterflies are also among the most gloriously symbolic of human aspiration. Ancient Greek poets, and modern science have been mesmerized by what butterflies say to our species.

Of the 175,000 or so butterfly species that have thus far been discovered worldwide, over 1,200 inhabit Malaysia, the majority in East Malaysia (Borneo). In Peninsular Malaysia, this exquisite diversity has found a home in the center of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur, at the Butterfly Park on Jalan Cenderawasih. Here more than 6,000 individual butterflies, among 120 species within a netted environment, reveal nearly 10% of all known regional species.

In a country that is rapidly losing precious habitat, this butterfly sanctuary profiled in Sanctuary: Global Oases of Innocence reminds us of our job in this generation. For if we fail to get it right in the coming few years and decades, there are no guarantees that any butterflies will survive.

The Butterflies of Kuala Lumpur: A Rare Sanctuary in Malaysia