Planting Mali-mali and Dao to Protect Butterflies in Bantimurung

Image: article cover, from Suryanto and Mangopang (2025), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

A research team from the Makassar Centre for Environmental and Forestry Research and Development has studied nectar-producing plants as food for adult butterflies in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, South Sulawesi. The study was prompted by the continuing decline in the area's butterfly population, driven by pressure from local communities and habitat degradation. Its findings indicate that planting mali-mali and dao on degraded land could form part of efforts to rehabilitate butterfly habitat.

The study recorded the highest species diversity index in the butterfly family Nymphalidae, while Nymphalidae and Papilionidae had the highest species richness indices. All butterfly families recorded showed low dominance and evenness indices. In terms of size, Nymphalidae and Papilionidae were the families containing the largest butterfly species found. For planting, applying fertiliser to the planting hole gave the best results: 600 grams per hole for mali-mali and 900 grams per hole for dao.

These findings are important for the management of Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, which is known for its karst ecosystem and its rich flora and fauna. By identifying food-plant species and appropriate planting methods, rehabilitation of degraded land in the area can be better targeted, helping to sustain butterfly populations.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Planting of Nectar Plants as Feed of Butterflies Imago in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park by Heri Suryanto and Albert Donatus Mangopang, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 10 No. 02 (2025). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Suryanto, H., & Mangopang, A. D. (2025). Planting of Nectar Plants as Feed of Butterflies Imago in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park. Jurnal Wasian, 10(02), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.62142/g2s0xx92

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.