DRIVE TO STAMP OUT TRADE IN RARE INSECTS

The Forestry Department has unveiled a plan to crack down on the trade in insects in response to a decline in rare species as a result of their popularity among collectors.

Forestry officials soon will visit markets in and around Bangkok to spread the word and hand out pictures of 15 protected species, including butterflies.

People possessing, selling, importing, exporting or transferring the species will face a 40,000 baht and/or a four-year jail term.

The 15 species are listed under the 1992 Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act. There are four species of bug and 11 of butterfly, three of which are listed under the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species. The bugs include cheirotonus parryi, cladognathus giraffa, mouhotia batesi and mormolyce phyllodes. The butterflies include lyssa zampa, papilio protenor, meandrusa gyas, papilio palinurus and all of those classified as Kaiser and long-tailed night butterflies.

All species in Genus Actias, Troides, Stichopluthalma, Bhutanitis as well as day butterflies in Genus Trogonoptera and Ornithoptera are also protected.

Thanit Palasuwan, head of Wildlife Protection Division 1, said fancy butterflies and rare bugs have become much sought after in the past few years. "Traders and collectors usually hire local people living in forests or up on high mountains to catch them for a few hundred baht per insect," he said.

Sightings of once hard-to-find butterflies are now abundant particularly at tourist spots including Chatuchak Market, Sukhumvit Night Bazaar, Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, Phuket Night Bazaar and other weekends markets.

Mr Thanit admitted the department was a bit late in taking action but blamed this on lack of personnel and budget. There was not much preventive organisation when it came to insect trade, unlike wildlife trade, he said.

Despite the fact these insects were listed eight years ago, forestry chief Plodprasop Suraswadi has only recently appointed six experts on insects to help, after years of dealing with unqualified staff. "Even the brochures to be handed out to the public were helped in design, story and pictures by the Department of Agriculture.

Source: Bangkok Post Jun 7, 2000