The recently launched Pakistan Butterfly Society has decided to take part in regionally observed ‘Butterfly Month’ and walks have been planned to be held in different cities for highlighting importance of butterflies.
“This is first time that Pakistan is taking part in ‘Butterfly Month’ to be observed in South Asian region in the month of September and will help in promotion of butterfly monitoring through capturing of pictures in the country,” observed Muhammad Akram Awan, an ardent butterfly lover, researcher and founder of Pakistan Butterfly Society.
Talking to APP here on Monday, Muhammad Akram informed that for the first time in August 2023, Pakistan Butterfly Society has been launched with members from different cities of the country.
The Pakistan Butterfly Society has developed its facebook page and the team members are uploading pictures of butterflies being found in different parts of the country.
Recording of butterfly species and its population was very important for evaluating environmental impacts on any area, Akram observed.
He said the first victim of environmental degradation was butterfly because of its very sensitive and fragile nature.
As part of observance of Butterfly month in Pakistan, walks are planned and first one will be held in Swat in second week of September, Akram informed.
He said the team members of Pakistan Butterfly Society, college and university students, would go to a school and give a presentation to students about importance of butterfly and their recording.
The students will also be informed as how pictures of butterfly can be taken and uploaded on facebook page of Pakistan Butterfly Society.
Later a walk will be held in Mingora city of Swat to be participated by people belonging to different sections of life.
After holding walk in Swat, similar activity will also be organized in Karachi and Islamabad cities in current month to create awareness about butterfly importance, he added.
Akram also informed that all the data collected in shape of information and pictures of butterflies from different parts of the country will be uploaded on an international web portal `iNaturalists’.
iNaturalists is an online portal set up for collection of data from across the globe about different species of butterflies and details of their population in different areas.
Pakistan Butterfly Society is also working in translating names of butterfly species found in different parts of the country in Urdu, Pashto and Balochi languages for better understanding of local people.
Akram said butterfly population is on constant decline in our country due to different threats including habitat fragmentation, forest degradation, reduction in flowering plants, pollution, over grazing, use of pesticides in agriculture land.
Global warming is also a serious threat to butterfly population due to extreme heat and winter. Similarly erratic weather events affects butterfly, he continued.
