How the Butterfly Pavilion Accomplishes its Mission

Research & Conservation

Butterfly Farming

By purchasing butterfly chrysalides from butterfly farmers in the tropics, we support sustainable agriculture in rainforests worldwide, preventing deforestation and habitat loss and providing a sustainable economy for local communities. Since 1995, we have invested an average of $80,000 per year in international butterfly farms in tropical rainforest habitats around the world including farms in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Suriname, Kenya, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines and China. In the past two years alone we have contributed $155,430 to butterfly farmers, which helped to protect vital habitat for species like the Common Green Birdwing butterfly that is currently on the endangered species list.
 

Adopt-A-Butterfly Program

The Adopt-A-Butterfly program provides an opportunity for Butterfly Pavilion friends to actively support Butterfly Pavilion conservation efforts both locally and globally. Because habitat destruction is one of the greatest challenges facing our planet in the 21st century, providing a way for people to support rainforests protection locally is incredibly important. Half of all profits of the program go to support habitat conservation at the Spirogyra Butterfly Farm while the other half is used for local conservation projects such as open space restoration. Each year a different butterfly farm is chosen as part of the program. Butterfly farmers encourage the growth of rainforest plants to raise their caterpillars and attract butterflies thus keeping rainforest intact. This practice helps promote sustainable businesses in tropical regions by using land to raise butterflies instead of relying on less sustainable, resource intensive practices.
 

Local Conservation Efforts

We also know the importance of local conservation and accomplish this through a variety of efforts and innovative programming such as our Senior Habitat Gardening programs, our Citizen Science projects, our outreach programs and on-site events which continue to positively influence our local communities. We serve as a resource in the community on native plant habitat development that emphasizes the local ecology and animal life. We provide training for the Habitat Stewards volunteer program and provide opportunities for families to learn first-hand about the important of land conservation and habitat development.
 

Research Efforts

The Butterfly Pavilion is leading the way in invertebrate research and is currently the only zoo dedicated to studying and breeding the world’s endangered tarantula populations. The Butterfly Pavilion’s Captive Tarantula Breeding Program has experienced tremendous success in its short lifespan with several successful breedings in the last two years, including the first ever Sugar City Brown tarantula breeding. The program has already begun to have an impact on tarantula trade and is decreasing the need to remove species from the wild. Soon the Butterfly Pavilion will publish papers documenting our tarantula growth study; providing vital information for scientists about tarantulas.