Eastern Tiger swallowtail
A LEGAL battle is ensuing in the United States to protect tropical swallowtail butterflies, which are found in Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil and Asia.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the Portland-based Xerces Society and the Tucson, Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity want the seven rarest species protected by the Endangered Species Act. They recently filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland to force the Government to include them on the list.
The report further stated that the tropical swallowtail butterflies are coveted by collectors for their showy, colourful wings, often drawing a price of more than US$3,000 ($180,000) per pair.
SPECTACULAR BUTTERFLIES
"They're spectacular butterflies," said Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of the Xerces Society. "But they're being wiped out. It's the one-two-three punch. These are highly collectible butterflies, but their habitat is also being destroyed from different impacts."
In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined in a 90-day review that the swallowtails deserved protection under the Endangered Species Act, the lawsuit said.
The agency then had one year to either add the butterflies to the list or determine that they were not endangered, Black said.
"It's been 10 years. We thought it's been time to push the envelope, and we found no other way under this administration - it's either a lawsuit or they don't do anything," Black said.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Although the butterflies do not live in the United States, listing them under the Endangered Species Act offers certain benefits. The biggest impact is that it is illegal to import endangered species, which means collectors would not be able to buy them legally.
In addition, if projects in those countries are funded by U.S. agencies or institutions such as the World Bank, they will have to address these butterflies in any developmental plan, Black said.
Jenny Valdivia, a Portland-based spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Agency, said she could not comment on the pending lawsuit. But, she said, delays like this one happen more often than the agency would like.
