BUTTERFLY FARMING - creating economic alternatives to farming and logging
What is butterfly farming?
Butterfly farms breed and supply live and dead insect specimens for butterfly houses, exhibits, collectors and natural museums.
Where are they located?
There are hundreds of farms around the world, with most located in tropical areas near rainforests where breeders have easy access to butterfly food plants. Today, there are successful commercial farming operations in South America, Uganda, Madagascar, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia.
How does butterfly farming work?
The first stage of butterfly farming involves obtaining a few fertile female butterflies, which are placed in a large enclosure with their required host plants to lay their eggs on. A single female butterfly can lay between 250 and 500 eggs in her lifetime, so very few female butterflies are required to start these captive butterfly populations. Once the caterpillars pupate some are collected to be sent to flying butterfly displays while the rest are allowed to turn into adult butterflies so they can mate and produce the cycle all over again. Deceased butterflies are gathered for museums and specimen collectors.
How does butterfly farming protect habitat?
Many populations living around rainforest areas depend on either environmentally destructive agriculture farming, which requires clearing rainforest, or logging for an income. When butterfly farming is introduced as an economic alternative to these practices and managed properly, it can have a profound impact on the environment. Because host plants need to be collected by the farmer for his/her use in rearing the larvae, the butterfly farm is dependent upon a parcel of land that is forested. In addition, butterfly farmers rear butterflies in captivity within the confines of an enclosure, thus putting no strain on the wild populations of butterflies.
Who runs these?
Often a government agency or NGO (non governmental organization) start these programs. For example, conservation organizations like The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund have both included butterfly farming projects in their conservation programs.
What are some of the other benefits of butterfly farming?
Besides forest preservation and poverty alleviation, butterfly farming provides a lot of important information on butterfly biology. Of all the butterfly species known (roughly 20,000) only a small percentage are known about in great detail. Butterfly farms can provide scientist with valuable information life cycle, parasite and food plant information.
What is butterfly farming?
Butterfly farms breed and supply live and dead insect specimens for butterfly houses, exhibits, collectors and natural museums.
Where are they located?
There are hundreds of farms around the world, with most located in tropical areas near rainforests where breeders have easy access to butterfly food plants. Today, there are successful commercial farming operations in South America, Uganda, Madagascar, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia.
How does butterfly farming work?
The first stage of butterfly farming involves obtaining a few fertile female butterflies, which are placed in a large enclosure with their required host plants to lay their eggs on. A single female butterfly can lay between 250 and 500 eggs in her lifetime, so very few female butterflies are required to start these captive butterfly populations. Once the caterpillars pupate some are collected to be sent to flying butterfly displays while the rest are allowed to turn into adult butterflies so they can mate and produce the cycle all over again. Deceased butterflies are gathered for museums and specimen collectors.
How does butterfly farming protect habitat?
Many populations living around rainforest areas depend on either environmentally destructive agriculture farming, which requires clearing rainforest, or logging for an income. When butterfly farming is introduced as an economic alternative to these practices and managed properly, it can have a profound impact on the environment. Because host plants need to be collected by the farmer for his/her use in rearing the larvae, the butterfly farm is dependent upon a parcel of land that is forested. In addition, butterfly farmers rear butterflies in captivity within the confines of an enclosure, thus putting no strain on the wild populations of butterflies.
Who runs these?
Often a government agency or NGO (non governmental organization) start these programs. For example, conservation organizations like The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund have both included butterfly farming projects in their conservation programs.
What are some of the other benefits of butterfly farming?
Besides forest preservation and poverty alleviation, butterfly farming provides a lot of important information on butterfly biology. Of all the butterfly species known (roughly 20,000) only a small percentage are known about in great detail. Butterfly farms can provide scientist with valuable information life cycle, parasite and food plant information.
A CASE STUDY: THE KIPEPEO BUTTERFLY PROJECT
A holistic approach to forest conservation
HOW BUTTERFLY FARMING CAN HELP PROTECT IMPORTANT HABITAT
The Arabuko-Sokoke forest in Kenya is an important habitat for rare birds, mammals, insects and plants and listed as a priority conservation area. Sadly, this forest was severely exploited for resources in the 1980’s from the growing surrounding communities that used the forests for wood, minerals, animal meat and agriculture farming land. The forest could not satisfy the populations growing needs and thus threatening biodiversity and the very survival of the forest.
In an effort to preserve the forest, while at the same time enabling the adjacent communities to derive a livelihood from the forest, a butterfly farming enterprise was started in 1993. This program has turned out to be a huge success and has improved local eco-tourism, conservation education and led to better involvement of the local community in managing and conserving the forest resources.
