JP/18/BANTI

JP/18/BANTI

Bantimurung's butterflies still caught in the net.

Fabio Scarpello Contributor Makassar

Bantimurung is wedged in the mountains 41 kilometers north of Makassar in South Sulawesi.

Here a 15-metre cascade of sparkling water gushes out between lushly vegetated limestone cliffs into a stream that flows through a jungle teeming with monkeys.

This is no ordinary place; the great 19th century British naturalist Sir Alfred Russel Wallace considered it a paradise.

Wallace, who between 1856 and 1857 spent "some of his most memorable moments" here, was awed by the number of brightly colored butterflies that fluttered from shrub to shrub.

His writings have encouraged many others to visit and study the area that was eventually declared a protected national park.

Unfortunately, national park status does not always mean much in Indonesia. In Bantimurung, park rangers are nowhere to be seen and visitors are besieged by peddlers openly offering glorious pressed specimens in cellophane envelopes.

Rahmad Sabang, who until February 2004 worked for IRPM, a local non-governmental organization (NGO) concerned with the environment points the finger firmly at the government.

"To begin with, the area is not fenced off as it should be, and only big stones are used to delimit its 120-hectare perimeter. Most of these stones are covered with overgrown vegetation, which makes it difficult for people to see them. Also, perpetrators, caught in the act, only face the confiscation of the butterflies and of the net. This is just not a strong enough deterrent and of course they will be back the day after," Rahmad says.

Twelve-year-old Agus, who has never been to school, earns about Rp 20,000 a day selling butterflies and guiding tourists around the park.

During a conversation with Agus, it became clear that he did not truly understand the difference between legal and illegal. He believed that butterflies were endless, and that it was his right to catch as many as he could.

"I am not very good at it yet, but my father, Deinundi, is the best in the area. He has been catching butterflies all his life and he catches a minimum of fifty a day. I know another fifty people that do the same, but they are not as good as my father. He sells them to the owner of the restaurant at the entrance of the park for Rp 1,000 each" he said.

There are a series of restaurants outside the park and besides overpriced nasi goreng and lukewarm Bintang beer, butterflies are on offer.

The prize specimens are displayed for sale in a small cabinet with a glass front containing six brightly colored butterflies for a minimum of Rp 100,000 each. The restaurant owners declined to comment but a French tourist, Maurice, provided further insight into the trade.

Maurice, a gentle middle-aged man, spoke no Indonesian and a little English. The language barrier did not prevent him from buying over 80 butterflies that day.

"I know that most of these butterflies are protected species but if I don't buy them someone else will. I have been to Ambon and Papua as well, but here is the best place. Airport customs is not a problem. I have never declared the butterflies and I have never been stopped. However, I am not too worried because everybody has a price ... Most of these butterflies will fetch a minimum price of US$25 in Europe, but for some, private collectors will be prepared to pay much more," he said.

The "some" Maurice is referring to are probably the papilio androcles one of the world's rarest and largest swallow-tailed butterflies, still found in Bantimurung.

What Agus does not know and Maurice is not concerned about, is that the number of species in Bantimurung has been decreasing steadily.

"In the past more than 200 species of butterflies were recorded in Bantimurung, but that number dwindled to one hundred in the late 80's and it is believed to be much lower now. The deforestation of the area, the floods and the pesticides used in the nearby rice fields have also contributed to their decreasing population. However, the relentless action of people catching them remains the most important factor," Rahmad said.

He was quick to add that he does not blame the local people, and that unless alternatives means of earning were to be introduced in the area, it would be very difficult to convince them to stop.

"The NGO tries to educate people but it all comes down to survival and there is not much else on offer. A good alternative is to turn butterfly catching into a controlled industry for locals. An example to follow is PT Ikas Amboina in Bali that breeds butterflies and sell them in a sustainable ratio to Singapore, Japan and Germany," he said.