The world is witnessing a major decline in biodiversity. From large mammals to tiny insects, species face growing pressures from climate change and human activity. Yet insect conservation still receives too little attention.
Butterflies are familiar and well-loved insects. They are pollinators, part of ecological food webs, highly sensitive to climate, and useful as bioindicators. But many butterfly species remain understudied: their population status may be unknown, their behaviour barely documented, and their significance unfamiliar even to people living close to them.
A rare species across two landscapes
One such species is Ludlow's Bhutan Glory. It is currently known from the Trashiyangtse valley in Bhutan and West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
The species is categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and listed under CITES Appendix II. It is the national butterfly of Bhutan. In India, it receives Schedule I protection—the country's highest wildlife-protection category. Until recently, however, major knowledge gaps remained around its biology, behaviour, population, and threats.
A pioneering conservation project
In 2023, Sarika Baidya, Researcher and Programme Manager for Butterfly Research and Conservation at Nature Mates in Kolkata, began the world's first conservation project dedicated to Bhutan Glory. The initiative is also described as India's first conservation project focused on a single butterfly species.
Supported by a Future Conservationist Award from the Conservation Leadership Programme, the project began building the capacity of local people to participate actively in conserving Ludlow's Bhutan Glory. At the same time, the field team started studying the species' biology and behaviour to create a crucial evidence base. In 2025, the Wildlife Trust of India extended support through a Rapid Action Grant.
Knowledge, language, and community
The project works to close major knowledge gaps while introducing community nature programmes such as Big Butterfly Month. In collaboration with a member of the Bugun community, the team developed new names for Ludlow's Bhutan Glory and Bhutan Glory in the Bugun language—an effort described as the first in India to name a butterfly in an Indigenous language.
This work can help future population assessment, habitat management, and conservation-action planning. It also recognises that conservation knowledge is strengthened when scientific and local cultural knowledge meet with respect.
Conservation that supports people
The project promotes alternative livelihoods and women's empowerment. A Monpa woman currently leads outreach and awareness activities as a local field assistant, while members of Bugun, Sherdukpen, and other communities have joined the conservation initiative.
The team is promoting Ludlow's Bhutan Glory as an iconic flagship species and a source of pride for Arunachal Pradesh. This attention can also draw interest to the state's many lesser-known, rare, and threatened insects while supporting carefully managed ecotourism opportunities for local communities.
A model for future insect conservation
With support from the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department and diverse local communities, the Bhutan Glory Conservation Project has the potential to become a model for future insect-conservation programmes in India: species-focused, evidence-led, locally rooted, and attentive to livelihoods and language.
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