Butterflies as bioindicators of primary rain forest and oil palm plantation habitats in Papua New Guinea

My research team worked with Nakanai land-holders in Papua New Guinea to perform the first survey of butterflies in the Lake Hargy Caldera of West New Britain Province. Methods included modified Pollard transects quantifying sampling effort based on aerial netting and visual observations. Also deployed were traps baited with fermenting bananas. Results were compared with surveys on the adjacent Hargy Oil Palm Plantation and include species endemism, richness, abundance and similarity indices of the two sites. Sixty-two percent of the butterfly taxa recorded are regionally endemic to the Bismarck island chain or to New Britain in particular. Calculated levels of similarity between sites ranged from 0.151 to 0.262, suggesting the oil palm and rain forest habitats supported highly distinct species assemblages. Although preliminary, our results suggest butterflies are sensitive to the effects of conversion from primary rain forest to oil palm plantation.