The controversy that has surrounded butterfly collecting has also been reviewed at the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Like stamp collectors who usually concentrate on stamps of certain issue, country or historical period, butterfly collectors traditionally focus on a certain family of butterflies. Among collectors, the most popular family of butterflies is the colorful Papilionidae, which includes the well-known groups of Swallowtails, Graphiums and Birdwings. The striking Swallowtails are so called because of their elongated hind wings.      

Though it was previously thought that butterfly collecting endangered butterfly populations, it was often  difficult to impose a set of rules for those who collect for research and those who collect for trading. David Goh views that amateur collectors, who often buy or exchange mounted specimens for their private collections, have traditionally contributed greatly to butterfly research as well as raised the level of appreciation of butterflies among general public.

A growing conviction among those involved with butterfly work is that collecting butterflies does not significantly threaten the butterfly population. According to comments given by Dr. Mark Collins at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, not even one butterfly specie has become extinct through collecting. Together with other major world experts on butterfly conservation, Dr. Collins believes that the overwhelming threat to butterfly species today comes from the destruction of their natural habitat. Therefore, the most important action that can be taken to conserve insect species is to persuade governments to preserve their natural habitats as forest reserves. 

Some tropical countries highlight certain problems that arise from a ban collecting. These countries have a law which prohibits people from collecting insects in the wild. This has discouraged research on the great range of butterfly species found in the wide range of natural habitat stretching (for example like Indonesia) from Sumatra to Irian Jaya. The prohibition apparently does not completely stop the illegal butterfly’s trade but only discourage collecting by amateurs and researchers. While many species of jungle insects remain undiscovered, they are steadily becoming extinct due to high rate of deforestation in a country. As a result of the ban, there are no studies or records of many disappearing species in such countries. 

In view of the constant disappearance of this miniature insect kingdom, live exhibition of tropical butterflies and insects have become tremendously popular. Most major zoos round the world have in recent years (i.e. in the final decade of 20^th century) incorporated into their establishments such compact live exhibition of not only butterflies but also jungle insects by constructing temperature-controlled tropical glass houses for visitors to walk through. Thus, such recent world-wide activity has led to wide–spread interest in researching into the life-history and breeding of not only butterflies, but also many other invertebrates such as beetles, stick and leaf insects, mantises, spiders, scorpions, millipedes and even aquatic insects such as dragonflies, damselflies particularly fire-flies. So much so, enthusiasts in the west have started to organize annual international conferences on butterflies and separately on other invertebrates. PBF is proud to be the leading exhibition centre to display all said above said gifts of nature all under one roof with its natural setting all year round.

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