BUTTERFLY lovers can now learn more about some of the different species found in North Rupununi and the Iwokrama rainforests of Guyana. The additional knowledge can be gleaned from the book entitled ‘An introduction to Butterflies of the Iwokrama Forest and Communities of the North Rupununi District, Guyana, South America’ put out Friday at the residence of the British High Commissioner, Bel Air Gardens, Georgetown.

From left, GTA Director, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh; Ms. Gyanpriya Maharaj of the CSBD, UG; Wife of British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mrs. Sarah Wheeler; Dr Raquel Thomas of Iwokrama; and Hemchandranauth Sambhu of Iwokrama having a look at the book. (use some butterflies from the book)

It is a product of the Darwin Initiative funded ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Development of Butterfly Production in Guyana’ project initiated by the University of Warwick, United Kingdom (UK), in July 2006.

That entailed a biodiversity survey of the butterfly (Lepidoptera) community and host plants within the Iwokrama rainforest and the North Rupununi wetlands.

The work was a collaborative effort involving Amerindian communities within the Iwokrama Forest Reserve and the surrounding North Rupununi District; North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB); Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development; University of Guyana (UG); Matthew Payne and Bond LLP; the Natural History Museum, London; Kew Gardens, London; the British High Commission in Guyana; the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the local Wildlife Division.

Primarily a field guide, it was created to provide a simple reference that can be used to develop appreciation for the diverse variety of butterflies that are found in Guyana.

The compendium, the first of its kind featuring only Guyanese butterflies, comprises 131 pages and is an introduction to those of the Iwokrama forest and North Rupununi District and represents only a fraction of the species found in the Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Riodinidae and Lycaenidae families.

Wife of the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mrs. Sarah Wheeler, said the High Commission was delighted to assist Iwokrama and Warwick University, through the Darwin Initiative, to build the Fairview Butterfly House.

“It has been a part of our support for Iwokrama and the Low Carbon Development Strategy,” she told the audience, including conservationist Ms. Diane Mc Turk and Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh.

Wheeler said it is hoped that the building project will provide employment for the local communities as well as enjoyment for guests visiting the area.

She noted that most adults do not take the time to appreciate what she called “these small miracles.”

“But, one day, when I was at Iwokrama, in the silent cool of the forest, a large blue morpho butterfly flew right in front of me. It was one of the most beautiful experiences,” Wheeler remarked.

She said, a week later, while driving along the Lethem road, she saw clouds of small, white butterflies flying from one side to the other, thousands of them.

Wheeler said since her visit to Fairview, she has noticed and become interested in butterflies more and more and, when she received a copy of the just published booklet, she was truly astonished to see the incredible variety here.

“Once again, it shows the wonderful diversity of nature and yet another opportunity for visitors to Guyana and academics to avail themselves with the abundance of the variety,” she said.

OUTPUT
Iwokrama Director, Resource Management and Training, Dr Raquel Thomas, giving a brief background, reiterated that the text is an output of the butterfly project.

She reminded that the main aim was to, first of all, conduct a biodiversity survey of butterflies within the North Rupununi area including Iwokrama.

“This was to determine the variety of species that we have in the area but also linking to the kinds of plants that the caterpillars as well as the butterflies were feeding on,” Thomas disclosed.

She said that information was necessary because it fed into the second part of the project, which was looking to develop a sustainable butterfly business which will see the export of the pupa of the species.

Thomas said the team of community persons who worked with them was trained in all kinds of techniques, such as butterfly collection, butterfly rearing and packaging of the butterfly pupa.

“It is a very tedious business and it is an agricultural product, so it also comes with its challenges as well.”

Thomas said the project, after three years, ended in June this year but the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has kindly come on board to support it for another year.

“Because, while we have been getting some success with exports of the butterfly pupa, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of making it a feasible business,” she explained.

Thomas said things such as business planning and training will have to also be looked apart from just the production issues.

She thanked the British High Commission and other key partners for their tremendous support.

“It (the project) really causes people to get excited. I think butterflies are very much like birds. People get excited about birds, as well, because they are so colourful and pretty and the butterfly has an even more exciting and interesting life cycle,” Thomas pointed out.

She said: “We hope that the feasibility of developing it as a business export product will work out to be successful because it can work out an important livelihood or alternative livelihood business for communities.”

FEATURES
Scientific Officer, at the UG Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity (CSBD), Ms. Gyanpriya Maharaj said the manual features 95 species from five different families.

“The butterflies that are featured in this book were caught over a 12-month period in three habitat types.

“The biodiversity survey feeds into the second portion which is the butterfly farm. It is very important to not only know what is present but when it is present and the areas,” she stated.

Maharaj said the booklet gives a short rundown of the project itself and the different phases, an introduction to the country and a brief on the life cycle of the butterflies.

The book will be on sale for $4,000 each and proceeds will go towards the butterfly project.

The objective of the Darwin Project was to develop and disseminate butterfly farming techniques to some of the 16 communities from the Iwokrama forest and the surrounding North Rupununi region.

It is expected that, with the development of this ‘low tech’ butterfly farming industry, the livelihoods of the individuals within these communities will be enhanced and other projects undertaken.