The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly Breeding Project

With a wingspan of between 20 to 30cm, Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly (QABB) (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the world’s largest and one of the rarest butterflies. It is Endemic to Papua New Guinea’s Northern Province (also known as Oro Province).  It can only be found in two locations: the forest areas of the Managalas Plateau, 1,000 metres above sea level, and the coastal lowlands of the Popondetta Plains. QABB numbers in the Managalas Plateau are relatively healthy, but on the Popondetta Plains numbers are small and patchy.

The QABB is one of only three butterflies listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and is classified as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. On a positive note, the Papua New Guinea government declared the Managalas Plateau a Conservation Area in 2017, and it is now a protected National Park.

However, much more needs to be done to ensure the survival of this unique species.

Currently the greatest threat to QABB is poaching to supply the illegal wildlife trade.  Good, preserved specimens can fetch as much as $12,000 on the international black market. This must be stopped urgently.

We are privileged that part of New Britain Palm Oil Limited’s (NBPOL) Higaturu operations is home to the QABB butterfly. Consequently, we have formally designated certain forest areas within the company’s lease area to preserve its natural habitat so that the butterfly can thrive in a legally protected environment.

To further strengthen our conservation efforts, with a long-term aim that the QABB will no longer be an endangered species, we have been able to build and equip a new laboratory, flight cages and foodplant nurseries. This has been established at the company’s secure residential and operational facilities in our attempt to breed the QABB in captivity.

Our objective is to rear safely and release QABB into its previously inhabited areas, which have been enriched with additional foodplants.

Some fundamental questions need to be addressed as the breeding programme continues to develop. Based on molecular genetic analysis conducted by collaborators in France, we now know there is little genetic variation between the sub-populations. However, they may still have different ecological requirements, even in their specific food plants. This is vital information needed by the project for breeding success. Before any releases are conducted, past surveys of existing populations need to be consolidated and possibly repeated so that a conservation baseline is established to measure any future success.

As QABB species is so rare, we have developed breeding protocols with a closely related but common species – the Common Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus).

We only began work on the QABB breeding programme once we demonstrated successful Common Birdwing Butterfly egg-to-adult life cycles. We noted the butterflies were naturally feeding, courting, and mating in captivity.

Construction of the breeding laboratory began in February 2018 and was completed in May 2019. We also built staff accommodation and hired full-time research technicians, ground staff, and a Lead Entomologist. The facility contains two primary structures: the breeding laboratory and the flight cages. The laboratory has a bespoke ventilation system to recreate the temperature and humidity of the natural forest habitat but using HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filtered positive pressure to keep conditions sterile. The laboratory hosts the larvae where they are fed until they pupate. We grow the Aristolochia vine species that the larvae feed on in specially designated onsite nurseries. Once the larvae have pupated, and the pupae are close to emerging as butterflies, they are moved to cool dark boxes to enable the adult butterflies to dry and harden their wings for 24-48 hours after emergence. They are then transferred to flight cages designed to replicate the QABB’s natural environment. These are large tunnel-shaped enclosures, the largest measuring 30m long by 12m wide and 9m tall.

We are constantly working on improving the flight cage conditions and also enhancing our knowledge of QABB behaviour within the captive rearing environment.  The results are promising; however, the biggest hurdle is getting male QABB to successfully mate with females (it is not a problem we’ve observed with the closely related species).  The strategy to address this is two-fold, i) creating as near to natural conditions (space, temperature, humidity, vegetation and shade) in the very large flight cage, and ii) perfecting a hand-mating procedure.

A significant component of this project involves working with local communities, such as at the Hombareta Butterfly Conservation Reserve. It is hard to overstate the importance of the QABB to local communities. The Oro Provincial flag includes the QABB (representing wildlife) on a green background (for vegetation). QABB sightings in this region are rare. Given the local community’s proximity to the QABB natural habitat, we will seek their help in locating and nurturing this butterfly. We have supported this programme by building a guesthouse in one of the villages in Afore (Managlas Plateau) near a birdwing butterfly farm to house researchers and visitors to the area.

The QABB have long been targeted by poachers. Unfortunately, some community members have been coerced to help meet this growing demand. We are actively encouraging local stakeholders to shift their attention towards a conservation focus, however we also work closely with local community-based organisations, such as Partners with Melanesians (PWM), to help in butterfly conservation efforts in the Managalas Plateau Conservation Area.

‍NBPOL is grateful for support from the Papua New Guinea Government through the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA). They closely monitor the project’s progress and approved the permits to handle and breed the birdwing butterflies in captivity.

Since 2017, the project has been very generously financed by the Sime Darby Foundation (Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD). In addition to financing, YSD’s assistance in programme implementation has been invaluable. The project will run to August 2024.  After this, we hope to raise independent funding to ensure that the project is maintained into the foreseeable future to protect the future of this remarkable butterfly.