IABES & Conservation
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In the largest remaining stretch of tropical forest, deep in the hills of Western Jamaica known as Cockpit Country, flies a giant among butterflies, the rare and endangered Homerus Swallowtail (Papilio homerus). Threatened mostly by habitat loss through bauxite mining, this majestic butterfly has become the delicate ambassador of this still pristine habitat.
Today, several partners in conservation are teaming up into an alliance to try and save Homerus and Cockpit Country (www.cockpitcountry.com). The project, implemented in the field by the Windsor Research Centre (WCR) of Jamaica, receives continual financial support from the Dutch Zoo Conservation Fund (DZCF, www.nnbf.nl/en/) as well as the International Tropical Conservation Foundation (ITCF, www.shipstern.org). In 2006, the International Association of Butterfly Exhibitors and Suppliers (www.iabes.org) decided to join the effort.
IABES’ role is not only to spread the word about the necessity to preserve butterflies and their habitats - one of the major aims of IABES’ members in the first place -, but also to do something very concrete for a highly threatened butterfly. Through its Conservation Committee, IABES coordinates activities between partners within the project, and organizes fundraising within IABES.
So far, 14 members have joined the “Save Homerus” campaign, under the motto "one institution may raise only a small amount of money, many together, however, can make a huge difference ! " |
Proceedings of the
Symposium On The
Conservation of
Homerus Swallowtail
& Cockpit Country
April 19th, 2010
View / Download Here |
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Save Homerus Alliance
Facts on the Homerus Swallowtail | How can we save Homerus | Help save Homerus |
Facts on the Homerus Swallowtail
- In 1988, the Homerus Swallowtail was listed in the World's top twelve endangered species of all categories by the IUCN; protected as an Appendix I species of CITES by the Jamaican Wildlife Act of 1988.
- As the largest species of the genus Papilio in the world and the largest butterfly in the Western Hemisphere, this rare butterfly once inhabited most of Jamaica but has now dwindled into only two tiny populations: an eastern population, found where the Blue Mountains and John Crow Mountains merge, and a western population in the Cockpit Country.
- The Homerus Swallowtail larvae feed on Hernandia catalpaefolia and H. jamaicensis, plants which are both endemic to Jamaica, and development takes a long 84 days from egg to the emerged adult. Its adult numbers fluctuate rapidly, with peaks in July/August each year.
- Currently endangering the Homerus Swallowtail at Cockpit Country are loss of forest canopy cover, illegal collecting and exploitation of natural resources.
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How can we Save Homerus?
The IABES Conservation Committee, together with its partners and foremost the Windsor Research Centre of Jamaica, has devised the following mid-term strategy for the preservation of the Cockpit Country of Jamaica, habitat of the endangered Homerus swallowtail.
Definition of boundaries in the field
It is unclear today what exactly the boundaries of Cockpit Country are or should be, as these have not been legally defined. It is feared that key habitats for Homerus in the Western part of Cockpit Country may not be included in a future definition the latter’s boundaries. The Save Homerus project proposes to design, create and put up signs welcoming visitors to Cockpit Country at 10 locations, mostly in the western part of CC, in order to develop a sense of “ownership” by local communities and obtain their support for an inclusion within Cockpit Country.
Organise symposium on Homerus and its conservation
It is with great pleasure that we can announce that this Symposium was held in Kingston Jamaica on the 19th of April 2010. The symposium gathered all major scientists to have worked on Homerus, many of whom had never met. The proceedings of the Symposium are being drafted presently and should be available during the summer of 2010. It is hoped that these will serve as a solid scientific basis for the preservation of both Cockpit Country and Homerus. The proceedings and their recommendations shall also be sent to the Government of Jamaica.
Group photo of the attendees of the first Symposium on the Conservation of Homerus and Cockpit Country, Kingston, Jamaica, April 19th 2010
Meetings with local communities
Michael Schwartz, director of the Windsor Research Centre of Jamaica has, over the past few years, been very active in presenting what is at stake regarding the threats to Cockpit Country, by visiting numerous local communities. However, many still must be visited among which at least 10 communities in the western part of Cockpit Country. These visits will be started in 2010 and expected to continue in 2011. Emphasis will be laid on the minimal benefits of bauxite mining, and on the fact that the creation of mining roads and the destruction of the pits will represent serious threats to the long-term development of eco-tourism in the region, notwithstanding the threats to aquifer and water quality.
Explore the possibility of land acquisition by the project in the western part of Cockpit Country
The western part appears more and more to be a key area in the Conservation of Homerus, and there is a chance that it may be neglected in a future definition and protected status of cockpit Country. The project aims at creating a private wildlife refuge for Homerus through the acquisition of land in a key area of the western part of Cockpit country (in the Cambridge –Garlands-Niagara-Chesterfield area). This would help gain a foot in and raise awareness for the importance of this area, while also allowing for the construction of a regional information centre for tourists and Jamaican nationals alike.
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HELP SAVE HOMERUS !
If you are an butterfly related institution / IABES member:
- Do passive fundraising, by pledging x $ cent(s) per visitor per year (e.g. 30’000 visitors @ 5 cents/visitor = US$1,500 )
- Fundraise in your institution with the help of a display (see below)
- Organise special campaigns / events
- Encourage your visitors to become Friends of Homerus
- Link these pages to your website.
If you are an Individual:
- Make a donation and spread the news. You can also download this PDF form, should you want us to debit your credit card. You can then fax this form to us, which will be deleted after use.
IABES conservation
Sparkasse Koblenz, Germany
BLZ 57050120
Account number: 178038
IBAN CODE: DE24570501200000178038
SWIFT: MALADE 51KOB
- If you have a website, include the Save Homerus banner on your blog/website and link to this page
- Promote this page on social networks like Facebook
PLEASE JOIN US ! It will not cost you much to set-up your own campaign, but the results will be beneficial to both you and the project. Any amount you may fundraise will help, and together we can make a difference and save this amazing and endangered giant.
To make a pledge and start your fundraising activity, please email "Yes we will Save Homerus!" to caspar@papiliorama.ch .
This page is being updated, please come back for more information. |
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