More than 205 butterfly species were recorded during the first edition of the Wakro Butterfly Meet held recently in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve & Wildlife Sanctuary (KTR&WLS) in Lohit district. One important species that had not been recorded earlier in Arunachal Pradesh – the green-striped palmer – was photographed and recorded from the KTR&WLS during the two-day event. This is very encouraging for nature lovers. In the past, such successful butterfly meets have been organized in Miao in Changlang district and Ziro in Lower Subansiri district.
In fact, in Ziro there is a Butterfly Park, which is very popular among the visiting tourists. Arunachal Pradesh has the potential to be a centre for the study of butterflies. The varieties of butterfly species recorded in the state are massively encouraging. The state government should market Arunachal as a butterfly destination to attract more tourists, in particular nature lovers. For this, the environment, forest and climate change department along with the tourism department should come together and work out a formula. Furthermore, events like Wakro Butterfly Meet, etc, should be organized in various parts of the state by involving the local populace. The locals should be stakeholders.