Aren't the butterflies sold endangered?

Generally no! That politics sometimes masks fact is evident for the spectacular birdwings, the largest butterflies in the world, with numerous species distributed from southeast Asia to Australia.In PNG, the only birdwing that is even potentially endangered right now is the world's largest butterfly, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae). For years it was touted as a 'world conservation priority' by IUCN, and protected by PNG and international legislation. It's on the U.S. List of Endangered Species too. And what happened during all that attention and protection? Its habitat was steadily decimated by logging and oil plantation expansion.

So much for the "old way" of saving wildlife. Had PNG villagers been given forest conservation incentives (raising and selling the butterfly being the easiest and cheapest to promote) and absolutely no protective legislation had existed, it is probable that more habitat would survive today. Remember: "people can alter their behavior when they see that it will make things better....". All the endangered species legislation did nothing to improve the well-being of the Papua New Guineans.

When PNG's birdwings were first protected by the PNG government, little was known of their distribution. Subsequent surveys show that PNG's birdwings are often localised, but are widely distributed; new populations discovered all the time, most recently of the world's largest butterfly. Except for the world's largest butterfly, all other birdwings are on 'Appendix II' of CITES (Convention International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora). Being on Appendix II does not mean the species is threatened or endangered. It only means that trade in the species is being monitored.

The PNG government has allowed the Insect Farming & Trading Agency to help one village grow and sell the Goliath Birdwing. A village-based butterfly ranching program for the Meridionalis Birdwing is in the works, and possibly one for the Paradise Birdwing. Now that outsiders have had their chance to save the world's largest birdwing through legislation, the PNG government hopes to be able to allow villagers to ranch and sell about 100 specimens per year to the Insect Farming & Trading Agency.

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