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.