Raising or collecting insects to sell is the only incentive many indigenous peoples have to save their tropical forests.
Larry Orsak · Director, Christensen Research Institute · Papua New Guinea
Papua New GuineaButterfly ranchingProducts of the rainforest
01 — The case
Forest loss, clear incentive.
Virgin tropical forests are declining at an alarming rate. Buying products of the rainforest can turn standing forest into a lasting source of household income.
Over half of virgin tropical forests have been cleared in the last 40 years. The case for saving them is clear - and one of the most direct forms of support is buying products that depend on healthy rainforest habitat.
Butterfly farming and insect ranching give communities a cash crop that does not require clearing land or destroying canopy cover. The forest becomes a continual source of income rather than a one-off resource to exploit.
Field note 01Rainforest farming community
Collecting tropical butterflies does not speed up their extinction.
Larry Orsak · adapted from the original article
02 — Papua New Guinea
Investing in forest protection.
Buying tropical insects for collections may be one of the best investments anyone can make in tropical forest protection.
Field note 02Papua New Guinea insect resource programme
Papua New Guinea has some of the world's most desirable insects, including the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing and the Goliath Birdwing, the world's longest walking stick, largest katydid, and a weevil that grows a garden of lichens and mosses on its back.
Add to this 3,000+ species of orchids, 10% of the world's rhododendrons, the coveted bird-of-paradise and more. To ensure their future survival, PNG set up an entity to develop an insect resource programme which farms insects.
Due to its success it became a role model for many other butterfly farms and similar projects throughout the world.
50%+Of virgin tropical forests cleared in the last 40 years
3,000+Orchid species recorded in Papua New Guinea
20%Of farmed wildlife released back into the wild
PNGInsect resource programme became a global model
03 — How it works
From forest to livelihood.
Villagers collect butterflies and other insects from their forests to sell, or plant caterpillar food plants and market the adults that develop on those extra food plants - a process known as butterfly ranching.
01
Forest collection
Villagers gather butterflies and insects from standing forest, turning habitat into a renewable source of income.
02
Butterfly ranching
Food plants are cultivated so adult butterflies can be raised and sold without clearing additional land.
03
Wild release
Communities release 20% of all wildlife farmed back into the wild, supporting healthy populations.
Villagers realise that the forest can be a continual source of income. That gives them great incentive to protect their areas.
Money earned pays for children's schooling, medicine and simple living needs. They now have cash crops of butterflies which does not require forest clearing and land destruction.
Field note 03Community farming and host-plant cultivation
04 — Specimen highlights
Remarkable rainforest species.
Papua New Guinea's insect diversity helped establish farming programmes that now inspire conservation projects worldwide.
Butterflies
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Among the largest and most sought-after butterflies in the world.
Butterflies
Goliath Birdwing
Another iconic PNG species central to rainforest insect farming.
Insects
Longest walking stick
Part of a remarkable invertebrate fauna protected through farming income.
Insects
Lichen weevil
A weevil that grows a garden of lichens and mosses on its back.
Read more
Explore the full article.
This page presents an edited excerpt. The complete piece goes further into butterfly farming as a conservation strategy.
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