Landscape Management Plan for Butterfly Conservation: a case of Pookode lake, Wayanad

Abstract

Butterflies are significant ecological agents since they co-evolved with plants and are dependent on them for survival. They serve as a food source, a pollinator, and an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. Because they respond quickly to small environmental changes, butterflies are useful ecological indicators and an early warning system for dwindling wilderness. The Indian subcontinent hosts about 1,504 species of butterflies, and Western Ghats hosts 351 species of butterflies. The amount of the Indian butterflies is one fifth of the world butterflies. The Pookode Lake is located in Kerala's Wayanad district's Vythiri Taluk. The Lake is a perennial, rain-fed freshwater lake at a high altitude (770 MSL) in the state. The lake is deteriorating mostly as a result of human activity, eutrophication, and sediment accumulation from soil erosion. The Lake has a rich repository of flora and faunal species. The study was conducted throughout the lake's butterfly habitats by the Kerala Biodiversity Board. The diversity and abundance of butterflies have decreased as a result of the improper development at Pookode. Only 73 of the 88 species (from the Pookode Biodiversity Register) that had previously been recorded could be recognized during the study. Pookode showed a decline in diversity and abundance as the study carried on. Urbanization and construction activities are threats to butterflies in the area because they cause habitat fragmentation, forcing butterflies to congregate in small areas and resulting in population declines. Invasive plant species were thought to pose more of a concern than other types. According to research, native species that share the same kind of pollinators suffer dramatically lower seed set in the presence of an aggressively invading congener. These emphasize the significance of the region's butterfly fauna's diversity, endemism, ecology, and conservation issues, as well as the plants and types of habitat on which they depend. This paper examines the ecological importance of butterflies, threats to the native species, the potential role bio-educational tourism in conservation of these species and, at the same time, make the public aware of their importance and their ecological services. and thus protecting the lake and its ecosystem.