Prof Sandeep Chahal develops butterfly map of Jalandhar, flags threat from poachers
Deepkamal Kaur
Jalandhar, March 20
Working to promote ecological conservation, Jalandhar-based NGO Dastak Welfare Council which had developed sparrows distribution map of Jalandhar last year, has now come up with a butterfly map of Jalandhar.
Lime or citrus butterfly helps in the bumper production of kinnow fruit, but it is also poached, killed and sold for Rs 500 per piece. Prof Sandeep Chahal
The map signified the sighting and presence of various species of the butterflies in the city. Prof Sandeep Chahal, who runs the NGO, said, “In our research over the past few years, we have found that the primary diet of almost all the birds is larvae or caterpillars of butterflies. The birds feed their juveniles or young ones with it as they are rich source of protein, much needed for their wings growth. So it is important to maintain a healthy balance in our ecosystem to maintain a consistent food chain balance by promoting wellbeing of butterfly species in order to sustain bird life.”
Chahal said that he with his team did a year round survey of existing butterfly species in Jalandhar and has developed butterfly map of Jalandhar which specifies that in most of five sub-divisions and 11 blocks of Jalandhar viz Jalandhar-1, Jalandhar-2, Nakodar, Phillaur and Shahkot and 11 blocks Adampur, Bhogpur, Jalandhar-East, Jalandhar-West, Lohian, Mehatpur, Nakodar, Nurmahal, Phillaur, Rurka-Kalan and Shahkot, the most commonly found butterflies species are citrus butterfly.
He said most common citrus butterflies in Jalandhar are lime butterfly, milkweed butterflies, common evening brown, cabbage butterflies, brush-footed butterflies, peacock pansy, mottled emigrant and the great eggfly.
He said that there are 24,000 known butterfly species in the world and about 1,500 butterfly species are found in India. Of these, 142 species of butterflies of 14 families, are found in Punjab with an area of 50,362 sq km that has 12 natural wetlands (spread over 8 sq km) and 10 man-made wetlands (147 sq km).
Chahal goes on to explain that butterfly poachers carry illegal trade of 20 million dollars in the world every year. These butterfly poachers engage young children for Rs 150 a day under child labour flouting norms and sell the priced catch at Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per framed real butterfly which are proudly displayed on the walls of the living rooms by the ignorant upper-class people. Butterflies pollinate about 75 per cent of staple crops in the world and 80 per cent of all flowering plants.
In Punjab, Chahal said, “Lime or citrus butterfly helps in the bumper production of kinnow fruit, but it is also poached, killed and sold for Rs 500 per piece.” The NGO has motivated and distributed free of cost bonsai variety of citrus plants to the populace of the region which promotes the population of lime butterflies species and has also motivated the farmers to cultivate cabbage in their fields which in turn promoted the population of cabbage butterflies — the beautiful green white butterflies.
Chahal said, “Gangs of professional butterfly hunters and poachers organise expensive expeditions, sometimes hire local people, and use all possible methods of collecting their target butterflies species in large numbers. They use special sources of ultraviolet light, chemical baits, and sometimes cut down large trees to get caterpillars from the forest canopy. The rarer is the species, the higher is the market price; so a butterfly can be hunted into extinction within just a few years.”
He rued, “Even people responsible for the enforcement of environmental laws often pay little attention to insects smuggled out or in their countries. Insect collectors never tell their secrets, and professional entomologists are more interested in agriculture pests and other economically important species than in rare ones. As long as open trade in insects goes on unchecked, the mass extinction of these groups like butterflies will continue, fed by our ignorance and greed.”
