What is a lepidopterist

[Guy Van de Poel & A. Kalus]

Hi Chris & all,

>     In the interim, the collection of insect specimens has NOT been
> outlawed.

Yet.
In Germany, 95% of the species occurring are protected, cannot be caught.
The ones that can be, are species like the Pieris, Inachis io, Aglais
urticae, the Vanessas.
In certain regions of Switzerland, collecting butterflies is completely
forbidden. In Spain (including the Canary Islands) no butterfly (insects?)
at all can be taken: illegal. You can collect in Turkey, but you cannot take
them out of the country.
I don't know about the other countries (I would be interested to know about
Portugal - Eduardo ?). I know in Flanders it is illegal to have some species
in your collection (e.g. Iphiclides podalirius). This butterfly is still
common around the Mediterranean, *but his range does not reach Flanders* in
the north (though of course stragglers can come that far).

In politics, when a certain species is threatened, it depends on the threat
what will be done about it. Depending on how much money is involved, the
solution will be a real one, or just a cover-up.
We all know that if the caterpillars do not have anything to munch on any
more because of loss of habitat, it does not bring anything to forbid to
collect the adults.
And a nice cover-up is just that: if no-one can collect butterflies, less
people will be interested, and less threats will be reported on. And
'looking' at butterflies is good for the common species (that usually do not
need protection), but several of the skippers are impossible to tell apart
without catching them. The same goes for some rare Pierids (try and
distinguish Pieris mannii or ergane from P. rapae in flight).
Most of these laws do not really serve anything except to protect big
interests.

Guy.




 
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