- With 692 identified species, including more than two dozen endemic, Nepal is an important habitat for butterflies. However, research is in its infancy due to insufficient funding, limited public interest and a lack of cultural emphasis on butterfly conservation.
- Sanej Suwal is one of a handful of researchers dedicated to butterfly research in Nepal, balancing species studies with public awareness initiatives. He organized Nepal’s first Big Butterfly Count, a citizen science initiative.
- Butterflies in Nepal likely face threats from climate change, habitat loss and urbanization. Despite their importance, butterfly research struggles with minimal funding and institutional recognition, requiring more researchers and global support to expand knowledge and conservation efforts.
KATHMANDU — Nepal is home to a diversity of butterfly species, with 692 identified. More than two dozen species and subspecies have been found to be endemic to Nepal. Despite this, research on butterflies in Nepal is still in its nascent stage, mainly due to insufficient funding, limited public interest and the absence of documented cultural practices or traditions that emphasize their significance.
This hasn’t prevented a handful of researchers driven by their passion from venturing into butterfly research and public awareness. Among them is Sanej Suwal, a young conservationist from Bhaktapur, a town in the Kathmandu Valley, who has dedicated his career to studying butterflies.
Suwal’s passion drives his commitment to both research and public awareness, despite facing significant challenges such as a lack of financial support and minimal recognition from government bodies. “Butterflies, as key pollinators, play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, but they are often overlooked,” Suwal says.
Suwal and his team recently organized Nepal’s Big Butterfly Count. The event, held during Nepal’s festive season in October, saw active participation from people around the country, highlighting growing interest in butterfly conservation. This initiative aimed not only to count butterfly species but also to raise public awareness about their ecological importance.
Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi spoke by phone with Suwal about his work, including the Big Butterfly Count, and the past and present of butterfly research in Nepal. The following interview has been translated from Nepali and edited for clarity.
Sanej Suwal: I have always been fond of hiking and traveling to different parts of the country with friends and family. I guess that’s how I developed my fondness for wildlife. Whenever I was out in nature, I would take photos of things I saw and share them with my friends.
When it was time to work on my environmental science master’s thesis around 2016, I was looking for ideas. A part of me wanted to work on small cats, but as the deadline inched closer, I remained undecided. I was also looking into butterflies. My mentors told me that there’s not much work on the insects in Nepal, and it would be a good contribution to science.
Then, one thing led to another; I also got an opportunity to meet Bhaiya Khanal, one of the pioneering butterfly researchers in Nepal.
While working on butterfly research, we found out there’s so little research into it in Nepal. Whenever we are working on a study, there’s not much literature to cite; we have to rely mostly on primary sources, there’s only a limited pool of experts for verification and review. Some of the most well-versed people are citizen scientists.
Mongabay: Whenever we talk about butterfly research in Nepal, one name comes up: Colin Smith, the British schoolteacher who came to Nepal and laid the foundation for butterfly research in the country. It’s been one year since his passing. Your thoughts on his contribution?
Sanej Suwal: He was indeed a pioneer when it comes to butterfly research in Nepal. During his time, it would have been difficult to even prepare a case study or an academic thesis on butterflies due to lack of research. But he single-handedly went ahead and wrote an in-depth book on the species. Of course, we are at a great loss with his passing.
I did get an opportunity to meet him in Kaski, where he lived, but I didn’t have direct contact with him, as he hadn’t been keeping well.
Mongabay: You say that your approach to butterflies has been of both species research as well as awareness. Could you please explain?
Sanej Suwal: Yes, we try to collect data from around the country through various studies that we conduct depending on the funding we receive. For example, we received a grant to survey an area around Rara Lake, of the most pristine and famous high-altitude freshwater lakes in the country.
But as butterfly research is relatively underfunded in Nepal, we also need to take up the challenge of making people aware about them. That’s where training of citizen scientists, forest user groups and students comes in.
Under our outreach efforts, we recently came up with the idea of the Big Butterfly Count in Nepal. As part of this, enthusiasts can use their mobile phone to upload photos of butterflies they encounter in their neighborhood.
Mongabay: Could you tell us a bit more about it?
Sanej Suwal: For the first time, we organized the event in October/ November, focusing on butterfly watching, nature conservation and research. This initiative is being carried out under the Asia Nature Challenge.
Participants could join via iNaturalist, where we’ve already registered over 100 members from Facebook and WhatsApp groups. These participants come from diverse regions like Kathmandu, Humla, Pokhara and Hetauda. We’ve also adopted a collaborative partnership approach to involve more people and organizations.
October provides excellent weather conditions for butterfly watching in Nepal, with clear skies and favorable temperatures. It’s also festival season, meaning college students returning home will likely encounter 15-20 common butterfly species. Observations and data collection are ongoing, and findings will be published on our platform soon.
The collection phase for this project is complete, and users can continue updating records on iNaturalist as we process the data. This initiative is a step toward promoting butterfly watching and highlighting its role in biodiversity conservation in Nepal.
Mongabay: What is the current state of knowledge of butterflies in Nepal?
Sanej Suwal: So far, more than 690-odd species of butterflies have been recorded in Nepal. Neighboring India, which is around 22 times bigger than Nepal in terms of land area, is home to around 1,500 species of butterflies. This shows that Nepal is an important habitat for butterflies in the region.
Some of the famous butterflies found in the country are the Krishna peacock (Papilio krishna), hockeystick sailer (Phaedyma aspasia kathmandia), Nepal’s skipper highland (Pyrgus nepalensis)and Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis). We also have the common tiger (Danaus genutia) that looks similar to the monarchs.
The monarch butterfly is of particular interest internationally due to extensive intervention-based research. However, in Nepal’s context, there are no reports of its presence.
Mongabay: In your opinion, which area is the most important in terms of habitat for butterflies in Nepal?
Sanej Suwal: In my opinion, Godavari, a forested area south of Kathmandu Valley, is the most important habitat for butterflies in the country. It is the hotspot for endangered as well as endemic species.
The area is connected to the Suryabinayak Forest as well as Panauti village.
Mongabay: Is it because of the flowers found there?
Sanej Suwal: Yes, the flowers are important. But so are the minerals found in the area. Butterflies not only need nectar, but also different minerals and salts, which are abundant in the Godavari area.
For example, when you go trekking and you sweat a lot, sometimes butterflies come to rest on your body. They do that to sip on minerals that our bodies release as sweat.
In addition to this, Godavari is home to a botanical garden that houses a lot of native as well as exotic plant species that make it favorable for butterflies. One of the most notable butterfly species, the Kaiser-i-Hind, is found in the area between June-July and May-March.
Mongabay: How important are farmlands for butterflies?
Sanej Suwal: In Nepal, the role of butterflies in agriculture and ecosystems is significant. For example, in agricultural lands, especially near mustard fields, we often observe the yellow coster (Acraea issoria), a special brush-footed species, thriving in transitional areas like edgelands. During the mustard season, butterflies such as the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris canidia) and the clouded yellow (Colias fieldii) are commonly seen.
When discussing pollinators, bees, including bumblebee (Bombus) species, are among the most critical. They could be actively competing with butterflies for flowers and even seek minerals from dung and soil.
Despite their importance, there is limited research in Nepal on the ecological interactions between pollinators and plants. In areas like Suryabinayak, we can observe butterflies and bees foraging together on flowers.
Mongabay: What about the threats facing butterflies in Nepal?
Sanej Suwal: Climate change has been observed to affect the life cycle of butterflies around the world. Because of the warming climate, their eggs and larvae have been found to be affected. However, we don’t have such research in Nepal. But we can say that it is most likely impacting butterflies here too.
Then, there is unplanned urbanization, deforestation and expansion of extractive industries in their important habitats. But we are just scratching the surface when it comes to butterfly research in Nepal.
Mongabay: Given the state of research on butterflies in the country and the lack of funding compared with other charismatic species like tigers and rhinos, do you sometimes think that you should have chosen species other than butterflies for your career?
Sanej Suwal: I wouldn’t deny that I have had such thoughts. Most of the grants in Nepal are for organizations and institutions. As an individual researcher, it’s difficult to access these funds.
I feel that until and unless we come up with groundbreaking research that puts us on the global map, it would be difficult to get international funding. There are only a handful of us working dedicatedly on butterfly research in the country; we need more people to join us if we are to expand our knowledge base.
Banner Image: An alpine mountan blue (Albulina orbitulus lobbichleri) photographed in Mustang, Nepal. Image courtesy of Sanej Suwal.
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