As modern climate change causes rapid geographical shifts of environmental conditions, there are great concerns that numerous species could be unable to track suitable environments, thereby incurring a 'climatic debt'. Recently, Devictor et al. reported that the composition of bird and butterfly communities across Europe has changed at a lower rate than could be expected given the observed increase in temperature. They concluded that communities are accumulating a significant climatic debt.

Many of the world's tropical protected areas are struggling to sustain their biodiversity, according to a study by more than 200 scientists from around the world.

Many of the world's tropical protected areas are struggling to sustain their biodiversity, according to a study by more than 200 scientists from around the world.

Radiation from Japan's leaking Fukushima nuclear plant has caused mutations in some butterflies and damaged the local environment, though humans seem relatively unaffected, researchers say.

Genetic mutations have been found in three generations of butterflies from near Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, scientists said Tuesday, raising fears radiation could affect other species

The Forest Department is all set to conduct a bird census in the Biligiriranganathaswamy Tiger (BRT) Reserve forest in November, after a gap of 15 years.

The Biligiriranganabetta is a unique hill where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet. It is home to more than 1,000 varieties of plants. Twenty-four varieties of mammals, 22 varieties of reptiles, 11 species of bipeds and 145 species of butterflies are found in the forest. So far, 274 varieties of birds have been identified in the reserve forests. Among them, 18 are on the verge of extinction. Ornithologists from Bangalore, M B Krishna and S Subramanya, had conducted a bird census in the reserve forest in 1997. In subsequent years, several ornithologists conducted studies at Biligiriranganabetta. But census was never undertaken again.

How large does a butterfly have to be before anybody notices it is disappearing? In the case of Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Queen Alexandra's birdwing, the answer is enormous.

This paper addresses the mass supply and use of butterflies for live exhibits, discusses the risks to biodiversity which this creates, and the educational opportunities it presents. Over the past 30 years a new type of insect zoo has become popular worldwide: the butterfly house. This has given rise to the global Butterfly House Industry (BHI) based on the mass production of butterfly pupae as a cash crop. Production is largely carried out by privately-owned butterfly farms in tropical countries, notably Central America and Southeast Asia.

The government has sanctioned Rs 33.60 crore for forest development and preservation under this year's annual plan from the Thirteenth Finance Commission’s grants-in-aid for the forest department.

The commission had sanctioned a sum of Rs 142.48 crore for the five year plan period. In the first two years, the government had sanctioned Rs 17.81 crore each. This year, the department has sanctioned Rs 2.01 crore for establishment of butterfly park in Tiruchi and providing a road train with traction facilities at Arignar Anna Zoological Park.

It is now confined to 53 patches in Kerala

Nestled in the deep valleys of the Western Ghats that is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna are the vestiges of a pristine habitat that could yield precious information about evolutionary biology and climate change. Scientists from the Centre for Earth Science Studies here and the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune are studying the Myristica swamps, a vanishing ecosystem, now largely confined to 53 patches in the Kulathupuzha and Anchal forest ranges and the Shendurney wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.

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