ISLAMABAD: The recently established Pakistan Butterfly Society has decided to participate in regionally observed ‘Butterfly Month’, and walks have been planned to be held in various cities to underscore the importance of butterflies.
A butterfly lover, researcher, and founder of Pakistan Butterfly Society, Muhammad Akram Awan, said that this is the first time that Pakistan is participating in ‘Butterfly Month’ to be observed in the South Asian region in September and will assist in the promotion of Butterfly monitoring through capturing of photos in the country, APP reported.
He said that for the first time in August 2023, the Pakistan Butterfly Society had been established with members from different cities of the country.
The Society has developed its Facebook page, and the team members are uploading photos of butterflies being found in different areas of the country.
Akram said that recording butterfly species and their populations was vital for evaluating environmental impacts on any region.
Butterfly First Victim of Environmental Degradation
He said the first victim of environmental degradation was the Butterfly due to its fragile and very sensitive nature.
As part of the observance of Butterfly Months, walks are planned, and the first one will be arranged in Swat in the second week of September, he added.
Akram said the team members of the Society, college, and university students, would go to a school and give a presentation to students about the significance of Butterfly and their recording.
The students will also be informed as to how photos of Butterfly can be captured and uploaded on the Facebook page of Pakistan Butterfly Society.
Later, a walk will be arranged in Mingora, Swat, to be participated by people belonging to various sections of life.
After holding a walk in Swat, a similar activity will also be arranged in Karachi and Islamabad to create awareness about butterfly importance, Akram added.
He also informed that all the data collected in the way of information and photos of butterflies from various parts of the country would be uploaded on an international web portal, `iNaturalists.
iNaturalists is an online portal set up for the collection of data from across the world about different species of butterflies and details of their population in different areas. – APP
