Lepidoptera Conservation Training at the Monarca Integrated Conservation

At the end of May 2026, we held the first Lepidoptera Conservation Training at the Monarca Integrated Conservation breeding facility.

We began by presenting the history of the area, recalling that the property was originally intended for agricultural production. About 30 years ago, an environmental enrichment process began with native species, initially through the planting of hundreds of Araucaria angustifolia seedlings.

Starting in 2018, local studies on lepidoptera began, and in 2019, the floristic enrichment expanded to include more than a hundred plant species cultivated specifically for feeding adult butterflies and their caterpillars.

This work significantly expanded the area's potential for the conservation of these insects, favoring the natural occurrence of more than 500 butterfly species recorded in the area by 2026.

The results obtained supported the environmental formalization of integrated conservation activities with the competent authorities from 2024 onwards, enabling the development of butterfly populations that formed our collections and also contributed to the strengthening of other butterfly farms.

During the training, we addressed the fundamentals for the implementation of gardens focused on in situ butterfly conservation, as well as support strategies that we provide to enterprises operating in this area, including in other states.

Next, we visited the seedling production sector and the different nurseries for adult butterflies, presenting the main aspects of management under human care from the perspective of ex situ conservation.

Finally, we discussed some of the publications resulting from our studies, which constitute important scientific bases for integrated conservation and for the organization of partnerships already established with other enterprises.

Our expectation is to strengthen in situ conservation practices, favoring local butterfly and moth species, producing knowledge that can be replicated in other regions, and consolidating technical foundations for ex situ and integrated conservation. In this way, we seek to expand the sustainable valuation of Lepidoptera and contribute to biodiversity conservation beyond the limits of the Monarca Integrated Conservation breeding center.

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