There's a great initiative near Fairview village, funded by the WWF and Darwin Initiative. Butterflies from the area are bred and then exported to the UK in their chrysalis state, for use in the country's tropical greenhouses at botanic gardens. Running for a few years, Kawe is now aiming to start exporting to the US.
In the photo, Vinissio, a Makushi from a village in the North Rupununi savannas, trained as a forester and is now working at the butterfly farm.
Inside the netted butterfly house, full of flowering lantana.
Butterflies feeding on bananas.
The iridescent blue of the wings.
Eggs which are laid on leaves are then transferred to netted cages where they will hatch.
Inside these cages the caterpillars are fed on their preferred leaves.
Eventually they will form chrysalises, which are then packed in boxes, laid out in rows on cotton wool and flown to the UK from April onwards, ready for the summer.
Vinissio and his colleague collecting butterlies at the edge of the forest, to transfer to the butterfly house.Traps are also set within the forest- butterflies are attracted to a mandioc and fruit juice as being held by Vinissio.
