Collecting, etc.

[Pierre Zagatti]

Neil Jones wrote:
>
> In message <35361213.34dfd5ef at aol.com> Pavulaan at aol.com writes:
> >
(....)
> >
> > 1) The best way to protect endangered species from those busloads of
> > collectors is to allow licensed commercial breeding of such species.
> > Commercially-bred (and I might add: perfect-quality) specimens will deflate
> > the demand for illegal wild-caught specimens.  I guess the success of
> > butterfly ranching experiments worldwide just aren't convincing proof
enough
> > for our government beauraucrats.
>
> Practical experience here in  the UK shows that this doesn't work.
> We have legislation that allows trading in certain species provided
> they are captice bred. The definition allows for things that are not bred
> but reared from a wild caught female.

Maybe it's a little bit more complex. Rearing farms usually sell
spectacular
species that are not really endangered by collection, but suffer
intensive
habitat destruction. In the tropics, these species are bought by
tourists
rather than by amateur entomologists (ex: Asian birdwing butts). When
there
are no rearing farms, these insects are caught in the wild and sold to
the
tourists (ex: Morphos and Agrias in French Guyana).
Now Neil refers to the temperate country situation, with really
endangered
species, and he is right when he states that it doesn't work. The reared
insects (as Potosia mirifica in France) are not really attractive for
the collectors.

--
Pierre ZAGATTI
INRA Unite de Phytopharmacie et Mediateurs Chimiques
78026 Versailles Cedex
FRANCE
Tel: (33) 1 30 83 31 18
e-mail zagatti at versailles.inra.fr
http://www.jouy.inra.fr/papillon/