JU to host 16th Butterfly Fair on 27 November

Jahangirnagar University (JU) will host its 16th Butterfly Fair on 27 November, featuring the launch of a book on butterflies and their host plants to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation.

Md Monowar Hossain, a professor of the university’s Zoology Department and convener of the fair, announced the date on Thursday.

He said the annual event had been organised for 16 years. This year’s fair will feature a book explaining the relationship between butterflies and plants, ways to identify host plants, and the characteristics of butterfly larvae. Monowar said the number of butterfly species recorded on the campus had declined from around 110 to about 70 over the years.

He attributed the decline to urbanisation, development activities and the destruction of trees, vegetation and natural habitats. Similar trends were also evident in areas surrounding the campus, he added.

He stressed that butterfly conservation required protecting shrubs, creepers and host plants, alongside the careful use of pesticides.

Preserving large trees alone would not be enough, as butterflies also depend on the plants and natural habitats they need to complete their life cycles, he said. The fair aims to raise awareness of butterflies’ role in nature, their contribution to biodiversity and the measures needed to conserve them.

Monowar also said an application had been submitted for intellectual property or copyright recognition for an initiative related to nature and biodiversity. The application is being processed.

Organisers plan to invite representatives from the Forest Department, various organisations in Bangladesh and people involved in nature conservation. The guest list has yet to be finalised.