Subject: Re: Collecting Debate, encore !

From: Patrick Roper <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 18:04:58 +0000

>Finally this concerns few species, the main reason of insect decrease
>relies on habitat destruction, urban extension, gardening behaviour,
>general pollution and changes in agricultural practice, but this
>is an other debate.

Dear Pierre,

Many thanks for your excellent contribution.  On your final point, I am sure
we all agree about the importance of the protection of habitat.  There is,
however, a strong link between this and  collecting.

Many of the responsible entomological collectors of the past realised that
butterflies and moths were being threatened by habitat destruction.  Some of
them were far sighted enough to establish reserves for the rarer species and
to establish laws for their protection.  Having created a reserve I am sure
it seemed to them rather contradictory to go and catch the things they
sought to protect, unless for some specific monitoring purpose.

It probably also seemed illogical to go and catch protected species on
places that were not reserves so many decided that, except in specific
circumstances, collecting was inappropriate.

In order to strengthen their case some of these older entomologists
introduced policies of collecting restraint within the entomological
societies where they had influence and a small group in the UK founded (in
1968) the organisation now called Butterfly Conservation (strictly The
British Butterfly Conservation Society).

One well-known subscriber to LEPS-list has, by proxy, vilified this society
and it may not be generally known that, as well as having some of the
world's leading lepidoptera conservationists, amateur and professional,
working for it, it is thought to be, with some 9,000 members, the largest
society for invertebrates in the world.  (Any other bids?)

Initially, of course, such an organisation attracts keen lepidopterists many
of whom were, and in some cases still are, collectors of one sort or
another.  Butterflies, however, appeal to a far wider audience than
enthusiastic entomologists and one quite quickly finds gardeners and people
with a general interest in wildlife and the countryside joining.  These are
decidedly not collectors and generally speaking seem to abhor recreational
collecting.  They do, however, make an important contribution both
financially and in other ways to habitat protection and other important
conservation issues and often become dedicated and expert lepidopterists in
their own right without ever experiencing the desire to collect.

One final point, then I'll shut up for a bit.  In this whole collecting
debate it often seems as though recreational collectors regard themselves as
isolated individuals operating in a pristine wilderness.  I think we all
accept that in places where there is still more or less unlimited space, one
person catching a few butterflies is hardly likely to damage a species that
is well-established and widespread, but you have made the point that in more
crowded countries (where remaining wild habitats are of special importance)
even one collector can cause significant damage as well as giving great
offence to anyone who has simply gone to look and enjoy.  But supposing ten,
or fifty, or five thousand collectors turned up?  The answer might be a
permit system, but who would issue a permit for someone to catch butterflies
for fun in a place whose aim was to protect them?

As I have remarked before, we have only 55 or so resident butterfly species
in the UK.  Many are protected and several endangered in Britain.  One has
to ask what the aim of a recreational collector in the UK might be.
Completeness is out and there seems little point in trying to capture the 35
or so reasonably common butterflies then stopping.  An alternative is the
pursuit of varieties in the wild, but there are many reasons in my view why
this should be discouraged.

Patrick Roper
--
South View, Churchland Lane, Sedlescombe, East Sussex TN33 0PE, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 1424 870208; Fax: +44 (0) 1424 870208
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