Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 19: India boasts of about 1,500 species of butterflies, of which more than 180 are found in the Eastern Ghats in Orissa.
The state is located along an important migratory route of the butterflies: from the Western Ghats to the lower Himalayas and the North-east of the country.
A lack of proper documentation of butterflies is a major stumbling block when it comes to public awareness on the state’s rich repository of the winged wonders, according to Mushroom, a city-based group of nature-lovers which has been engaged in the documentation and conservation of butterflies.
Sumant Sinha, president of Mushroom, said mapping of the state’s butterfly population and their habitat should be given top priority to study about their populations, habits and routes. Some steps have been taken by the Regional Natural History Museum in the state, such as creating a butterfly museum among others.
Similipal region in North Orissa has been identified as the most significant migratory region for butterflies, Sinha added.
Orissa is home to all seven types of butterflies that are unique to the Gangetic and coastal region in India, though their numbers may not be as large as that being reported from the hotspot regions such as Western Ghats, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
Similar to the Western Ghats, which have astonished the scientific community every year with the discovery of new butterfly species, scientists believe Orissa’s forests, if properly explored, can yield a treasure trove of surprises.
However, owing to factors like inaccessibility, not a lot of data is available on the state’s rich flora and fauna.
Scientists say study of butterflies would lead to a lot of valuable information on climate change, as being delicate creatures, they are the first to be affected directly by climate change and global warming.
Absence of butterflies in a region is an indicator of the adverse impacts of climate change.
Butterflies play an important role in pollination and help farmers, thus stabilising the ecology of the region that they inhabit.
Unfortunately, these winged creatures are on the decline due to habitat loss, as the host trees they depend on for laying eggs are being felled in an indiscriminate manner.
