Rob Small's Masters Thesis: Uptake and the success of insect ...

Insect Trade in Papua New Guinea
The demand for and availability of Papua New Guinean insects steadily increased post
World War II. Expatriate entrepreneurs, who were renowned in providing little income to
their employed collectors, supplied insects to Western collectors. In the mid sixties the
Australian administration became wary of this unregulated trade, especially with regard to
the collection and sale of Birdwings. In 1968 the Australian government declared seven
species of Ornithoptera to be protected under the Fauna Protection Ordnance of 1966. This
protection status was awarded at a time when very little was known about the distribution
and population status of the species and this decision appears to have been motivated by the
mystique that surrounded the butterflies. ‘The protected status given to the Ornithoptera
was without doubt, based more on an emotional approach…rather than any rational
knowledge of their distribution and status.’ (Parsons, 1983)
This legislation however did not cease the trade in butterflies and expatriate dealers are
reported to have continued to exporting through the 1970s. Perversely the legislature had
the effect of increasing the demand for the protected butterflies since they were now
officially ‘rare’ and the introduction of the legislature was at a time when the number of
western collectors was increasing. Butterfly companies in the USA were openly selling
Ornithoptera alexandrae (O. alexandrae) in the early 1970s. For example the Butterfly
Company had O. alexandrae listed for $285 a pair in 1971 (Butterfly Company, 1971) and
Complete Scientific Supplies had O. alexandrae listed for $340 a pair in 1975 (Complete
Scientific Supplies, 1975). The 1975 listing is notable as this was after Papua New Guinea
had become a CITES signatory in 1973.
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