Butterflies losing habitat

AN Oro provincial government wildlife officer is concerned that the world’s largest butterfly, found only in Papua New Guinea, is on the verge of extinction.
The Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterflies are already on the endangered species list and are rapidly losing their rainforest habitat.
“Its habitat is being destroyed by oil palm estate expansion and coffee and cocoa growing,” Eddie Malaisa says.
“I’m very worried about this butterfly’s future because on the lower plains, I know of only seven isolated blocks where it’s found but these are small patches of rainforest between 100-200 hectares surrounded by oil palm,”  he said.
Ironically, a relaxing of regulations set up to protect them may be the butterfly’s best hope for survival.
Queen Alexandra’s are currently classified as an appendix 1 species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), which prohibits their trade as specimens for overseas collectors.
With no legal trade, an illegal black market keeps the specimens in demand.
Last year, journalist Jessica Speart wrote of a jailed butterfly trader who was offering pairs of Queen Alexandra’s illegally smuggled out of PNG for more than US$8,500.
She estimated the global butterfly smuggling trade to be worth around US$200 million each year.