Forest dept proposes virtual insect world at Srirangam butterfly conservatory

TRICHY: After Coimbatore, Trichy may be the second city in the state to have an insect museum. The forest department is planning to set up a virtual insect world at the butterfly conservatory in Srirangam at an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh. A proposal has been sent to the state government in this regard.

A virtual insect museum was one of the components of the butterfly conservatory when it was planned. Though it was to come up at an estimated cost of Rs 40 lakh, it didn’t materialise then. A fresh proposal has now been given in this regard to revive the project, according to the forest officials. “A lot depends on the funding agency and the importance given to the project by it. If the proposal had materialised then, the insect museum at the butterfly conservatory would have been the first in the entire country,” said a senior forest official here.

According to the officials, adding interesting features to the butterfly conservatory was necessary to sustain visitors as they might get bored after a certain point. Revenue generated from the visitors was playing a major role in meeting the operational cost of the conservatory. Asked about the insect species that may be accommodated in the museum, district forest officer D Sujatha told TOI that the focus would be on exhibiting local insects of Srirangam and Trichy. Later it would be expanded to exhibit insects found in other parts.

The museum would also have details about the life cycle of the insects and their role in the ecosystem. Hailing the initiative, avid butterfly enthusiast and MSc Zoology student Griffith Michael said that the museum would help people know about the insects around them apart from butterflies. They would also come to know about the role of the insects in the ecosystem, he said.

A meeting of stakeholders and experts was convened by the forest department last week in Trichy in connection with the insect museum. A decision was also taken to utilise an indoor conservatory for the insect museum. Faculty member of the department of environmental sciences, R Carlton, said that there were about six or seven insect collection boxes that remained unused. These boxes could be utilised for pinning the insects and butterflies. Since the visitors might not sight butterflies in all seasons, having a display of butterflies would help them know the species found in the conservatory, he added.

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