Herawati "Mbak Iing" Soekardi is a lecturer at Lampung University, who studies and captively breeds butterflies in Lampung province. She uses these activities to raise, in a very practical way, the awareness of local people with regard to conservation and the importance of maintaining biological diversity. The Jakarta Post's Oyos Saroso describes aspects of her work in the articles below.
An extreme diversity of butterflies is a key biological natural resource here, and its economic potential has not yet been optimally utilized, while these colorful winged insects in fact have great economic value through their appeal to ecotourists, as well for their ability to pollinate crops.
Their diversity is determined by the host plants that feed butterfly larvae, so the presence of such plants becomes a limiting factor in the life cycles of butterflies.
Based on butterfly expert Herawati Soekardi's book (2000), the larvae of several species can live only on certain plants: for instance, Troides helena only eats the leaves of Aristolochia tagala and Appias libythea only consumes Cleome rutidosperma weeds. Butterflies feed on flower nectar so that they act as pollinators.
The Wan Abdurrahman People's Forest Zone (better known as Mount Betung) is a protected forest lying at an average altitude of 1,240 meters. Though famous as a mountain, the zone is more like a set of large hills. With an area of 22,244 hectares, Mt. Betung is opposite the Lampung Bay. As a source of water for citizens of Bandarlampung and South Lampung regency, it also provides much of raw material for a handful of mineral water companies.
In the 1970s, squatters began building huts in the area, which later turned into permanent dwellings on reclaimed land. In 1997, the beginning of Indonesia's reform era, squatting further escalated, with almost all big trees cut down.
The land was changed for growing cash crops, which threatened wildlife in and around Mt. Betung. The rare and beautiful butterflies, once teeming over the entire area and admired by tourists, began to disappear.
Realizing the importance of rescuing butterflies, in late 1997 Herawati Soekardi initiated a conservation drive for butterflies on Mt. Betung. The problem was how to create microhabitats that would suit the life of butterflies in designated locations so that they can be conserved.
With the help of activists of a nature lover foundation, Yayasan Sahabat Alam, Herawati built a 4-hectare butterfly park for conservation at the foot of Mt. Betung, approximately 450 meters above sea level. The secondary forest was originally dominated by such plants as coffee, providing no food for larvae and no blooms, except for weed butterflies (Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae families).
At first, Herawati began habitat enrichment activities by increasing the vegetative resources needed by butterflies. Starting in June 1999, she grew 25 host plant species totaling 200-800 seedlings per species, which were derived from Mt. Betung at an altitude of 700 meters and several other places in Lampung and other Sumatra provinces.
The nectar-producing flowering plants grown in the trial area were based on direct field observations of diverse blooms frequented by butterflies.
Herawati regularly recorded the butterflies attracted by the plants every two months after the habitat enrichment course, based on a survey method. The survey route took the form of a 500-meter five-path cross-section in the open butterfly park.
According to the committed conservationist, the diversity of butterfly species present in the park was observed in two ways. First, the species found along designated paths were listed. Second, each of the host plants was observed intensively for five minutes, noting the gathering of eggs, larvae and pupae.
"Eggs and larvae were kept in the laboratory until they became imagoes and then their breeding followed," she explained. Photographs and dried specimens were made to complete specification data per species. The wing spans of 10 butterflies per species were also measured.
After the microhabitat improvement by providing the nectar producing plants, the Gita Persada Butterfly Park was finally visited by 41 species of butterflies, which also reproduced in the area. She said that the species' presence depended on several key facts, especially on suitable host plants for egg laying and flowers for feeding. Generally, the host factor limits the growth of butterfly populations.
Results of Herawati's field survey and identification indicate that there are 13 species in the park from the Papilionidae family, nine species from the Pieridae family, two from Danaidae, 2 species from Satyridae, seven species from Nymphalidae, four species from Lycanidae and four others from Hesperiidae
"We also noticed consistency between the host plants grown and the butterflies present and reproducing there, particularly those species from the families of Papilionidae, Pieridae, Danaidae and Nymphalidae. Butterflies from the families of Satyridae, Lycaenidae and Hesperidae in the area still have unidentified hosts, probably weeds and bushes in the same place," she continued.
Wing span measurement results show that larger butterflies found on Mt. Betung are from the species of Troides helena, Papilio memnon and Papilio helenus, all belonging to the family of Papilionidae.
This family has a large number of species with beautiful wings, mostly with tails popularly called swallowtails. "Our park is also frequented by swallowtail butterflies of the species of Papilio memnon (female), P. helenus, P. peranthus, P. polytes (female), Pachliopta aristolochiae, Parides coon, P. demoleon and P. nephelus," added Herawati.
TJP/Oyos Saroso H.N.
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