Monarch Butterfly Trustees all a-flutter

Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust

Monarch Butterfly Trustees all a-flutter

Trustees of the Monarch Butterfly Trust are delighted with the support of the Mazda Foundation to their project planned to help biodiversity and NZ’s butterflies.

“Since we were formed a year ago,” said Jacqui Knight, spokesperson for the Trust. “we’ve been asked so many times, ‘where are all the butterflies?’.”
“This is just what the Trust was set up for,” she said.

The Trust and its members have put together a website, www.monarch.org.nz, with a wealth of information to help encourage the Monarch. But they’ve also become concerned about NZ’s indigenous butterflies, beautiful insects that many people don’t even know exist.

“And that’s the issue,” continued Jacqui. “We have a lepidopterist in Britain saying that NZ has the most beautiful Admiral of all – and it seems that most New Zealanders don’t even know it exists – let alone have seen it.”

Their project aims to measure the butterfly population in NZ, both by tagging Monarchs to record their dispersal and habitats, and to encourage New Zealanders to record what butterflies they see on weekly walks around their neighbourhood.

“People that we have told already are getting very excited about it,” said Jacqui. “Anyone can get involved, not just members. It’s a great way of helping NZ’s biodiversity.”

“We’re absolutely delighted to have the support of Mazda, who have given us a donation to get this project off the ground. This will enable us to get around NZ and tell people how to get involved.”

ENDS

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