Kaziranga National Park Emerges as India’s Second Butterfly Diversity Hub
Pic Source: Min of Environment
Guwahati: Kaziranga National Park has been identified as India’s second butterfly diversity hub, with an astonishing 446 species recorded. This remarkable finding is the result of years of research by Dr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, a young scientist from Kaziranga.
The first-ever Butterfly Conservation Meet-2024 was held from September 27th to 29th, attracting 40 butterfly enthusiasts from across India. The event aimed to share detailed butterfly records and promote awareness about butterfly conservation.
Kaziranga National Park now ranks second in butterfly species diversity among India’s protected areas, after Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh. Notably, 18 of the recorded species are new to India, including the Burmese Threering and Glassy Cerulean.
Dr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, who has been studying butterflies in the region since 2007, launched a pictorial guidebook on butterflies documenting the 446 species found in Kaziranga. The guidebook is a significant contribution to butterfly conservation efforts.
The Butterfly Conservation Meet featured insightful presentations, including a talk on “Taxonomy of Butterflies” by Gaurab Nandi Das from the Czech Republic. Participants observed 85 species of butterflies in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape, particularly in the Panbari Reserve Forest.
Dr. Gogoi emphasized that Kaziranga’s high species diversity is remarkable, given its location outside the Himalayan and Patkai mountain ranges. The meet aims to integrate butterfly conservation into Kaziranga’s priorities, alongside its iconic “Big Five” species – the Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
This discovery and the subsequent meet have laid a strong foundation for future conservation efforts, emphasizing the importance of preserving these vital pollinators and their ecosystems.
