Save New Zealand’s butterflies!

Save our butterflies by identifying them before they become extinct!

Can you imagine not having a name? Believe it or not, the majority of NZ butterflies have not yet been described! In fact, less than 50% of our insects have a scientific description.

As Dutch-NZ naturalist Ruud Kleinpaste explains, 'if we can’t identify them how can we save them from extinction?'

To fix this identification crisis, The Butterfly Discovery Project will launch a full study to analyse the DNA of NZ's largest group of butterflies, known as coppers, part of the Lycaena family.

Currently they are grouped into only four scientifically-named species. But there may actually be up to more than 20 individual species within these groups! This creates major confusion for scientists and enthusiasts alike!

We aim to raise $130,000 for a PhD student to begin the important work of DNA sequencing, forming a genealogical tree of the NZ coppers to resolve the ongoing confusion, under the supervision and guidance of The University of Auckland Professor Thomas Buckley and Dr Robert Hoare of Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research.

All donations during this fundraising campaign will be held in a trust account and will help to boost further funding grants. It is expected to take up to three years to complete this important project.

If you love NZ and our endemic species, even a few dollars will help us reach our goal.

Please spread the word to other butterfly and nature enthusiasts. Our butterflies are counting on you!