A guidebook on Papua's butterflies<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
We have seen butterflies since our childhood, but most of us
\nwould be unable to identify those exquisite insects.<\/p>\n
Dutchman Henk van Mastrigt is an exception. From 1974 until
\ntoday, he has been observing, collecting and identifying
\nbutterflies (lepidoptera).<\/p>\n
Mastrigt conducted the observation in the hard terrain of
\nnortheast Papua -- from the Mamberamo area to the Cyclops
\nmountains.<\/p>\n
The more significant observations were conducted in the
\nMamberamo areas of Dabra (2000), Marina Valen (2004), in Sarmi's
\nKumamba Islands (2002), the east coast of Wakde, Masi-masi, Yamma
\nand Podena (2001), on the slopes of the Cyclops mountains (2000)
\nand Ubrub (2003).<\/p>\n
With the help of his student Edy Rosariyanto, Conservation
\nInternational Indonesia and Papua Conservation Fund, Mastrigt
\ndocumented his work in a book titled Buku Panduan Lapangan Kupu-
\nkupu untuk Wilayah Mamberamo Sampai Pegunungan Cyclops (A
\nGuidebook on Butterflies in Mamberamo and Cyclops Mountains).<\/p>\n
This book is not scientific, but it provides quite detailed
\ninformation on the species of butterflies found in Mamberamo and
\nCyclops mountains.<\/p>\n
After about three decades of observation, Mastrigt -- who is
\nmore popularly known as Bruder Henk -- stated that there are
\nnearly 350 species of butterflies in Jayapura alone and 900
\nspecies across Papua.<\/p>\n
The book consists of three sections. The first section on
\ngeneral information comprises three chapters: general
\ninformation, knowing butterflies and a description of the
\ngeographic area.<\/p>\n
The second section is a short description of the world's fauna
\ndistribution.<\/p>\n
The third section provides color pictures of various
\nbutterflies in Papua.<\/p>\n
This book is a valuable guide for the public, students or
\ntravelers who love watching butterflies. They can bring this book
\nas a handy reference while traveling in Papua.<\/p>\n
This book is not designed to identify butterflies. People can
\nrefer to other literature for that purpose, such as: Butterflies
\nof the Indo-Australian Region by D'abrera (1990) and The
\nButterflies of Papua New Guinea by Parsons (1999).<\/p>\n
According to Mastrigt, the book will help people to understand
\nbutterflies better. Through better understanding, people will be
\nwilling to take part in the conservation effort.<\/p>\n
Although this is the first book to cover butterflies in
\nMamberamo and Cyclops mountains, it does not pretend to be
\ncomplete. It invites people on the field to share any information
\nthey may have to supplement the information contained in the
\nbook.<\/p>\n
The book attempts to cover areas in Mamberamo and in Cyclops
\nmountains, however not all places in this zone are accessible.<\/p>\n
For Mastrigt, the publication of this book is an effort to
\nseek partners who will adopt the mission to conserve butterflies
\nand the environment of Papua, which is four times the size of
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Mastrigt says he hopes further research on the location can be
\nmade to improve documentation.<\/p>\n
A Guidebook on Butterflies in the area of Mamberamo and Cyclops
\nMountains<\/p>\n
By Henk van Mastrigt and Edy Rosariyanto<\/p>\n
Conservation International Indonesia<\/p>\n
146 pp<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-guidebook-on-papuas-butterflies-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }