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

on a collecting trip with him he killed practically all of the butterflies that he collected
before inspecting the wings for damage. His collecting activity has however spurred him on
to read further about butterflies and he has bought an entomology text in order to learn
more about breeding cycles and food plants. Through talking with him he also appears to
have quite considerable knowledge of the environment including the El Nino event that
affected PNG in 1997.
Case Study 2 - Pine Lodge Hotel and the Illegal Trade
The second case study is an example of the burgeoning illegal trade of insects from Papua
New Guinea and how local people are using it as a source of income.
The presence of IFTA in Bulolo for over twenty-five years has meant that for international
collectors the town has become synonymous with insects. Some collectors like to make
trips to Papua New Guinea to collect for themselves rather than purchase insects through
the post. Due to the notoriety of Bulolo many of these ‘insect tourists’ make sure that they
visit Bulolo. With decreasing international air fares and increasing ease of travel several
such collectors visit the town each year. In the past the ‘insect tourists’ went on collecting
trips organised by IFTA yet the frequency of these organised trips is beginning to decrease
due to the tourists’ realisation that it is cheaper to buy insects direct from local farmers and
collectors. This activity is illegal yet is becoming increasingly prevalent in the town.
The nexus of the illegal trade of insects in Bulolo is the Pine Lodge Hotel. This is the only
hotel in the town and as such it is the only place for visiting tourists to stay. Bulolo has
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