Butterfly ranching in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
is a method for sustainable use of
insect biodiversity endorsed and supported by the national government. The trade is controlled by the
Insect Farming and Trading Agency, an organ of the Papua New Guinea government. Papua New Guinea has a spectacular butterfly fauna, including the world's largest butterflies, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing (''
Ornithoptera alexandrae
''Ornithoptera alexandrae'', the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest species of butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 cm to 28 cm (9.8 inches to 11 inches). This birdwing is restricted to the ...
'') and the Goliath birdwing (''
Ornithoptera goliath'').
A mosaic
gynandromorphic specimen of the Goliath birdwing was sold by a Taiwanese dealer for US$28,000 in July 2006, which is possibly the world record for the highest price paid for a butterfly. Prior to the establishment of the government legislation, the butterfly trade depended upon expatriate dealers who traded in wild-caught specimens. A
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
project in the early seventies aided the government in adopting this eco-friendly utilisation scheme.
The IFTA promotes the ecologically sound and sustainable practice of ''butterfly ranching'' where free ranging butterflies lay their eggs on food plants specifically grown for this purpose. Eggs, larvae and pupae are protected and allowed to grow safely to adult stage. A portion of the newly hatched adults are harvested for the insect trade while the rest are released to complement the free-ranging population.
See also
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Insect farming
Insect farming is the practice of raising and breeding insects as livestock, also referred to as ''minilivestock'' or ''micro stock''. Insects may be farmed for the commodities they produce (like silk, honey, lac or insect tea), or for them them ...
*
Insect Farming and Trading Agency
References
Online resources
Insect Farming and Trading Agency€”
Butterflies of Oceania
Environment of Papua New Guinea
.
Butterfly organizations
Insect-related occupations or hobbies
Economy of Papua New Guinea
Insect farming
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