A day-long butterfly fair will be held at Jahangirnagar University (JU) on Friday 24 November. The unusual fair, which aims to raise public awareness of butterfly conservation, is organised by the entomology branch of the university's zoology department.

The organisers said the fair would be opened at 9.30am on Friday in front of the university's Zahir Raihan Auditorium. The fair has been held on campus since 2010.

The fair's convener, zoology professor Monowar Hossain, said that although 110 butterfly species were seen at Jahangirnagar University in the past, the number has now fallen by half. "But for the sake of our own existence, we must keep butterflies alive in nature. So to raise awareness, the butterfly fair is being held this year as every year," he said.

This year the Butterfly Award for overall contribution to nature conservation will go to Professor Anwarul Islam of Dhaka University's zoology department, and the Butterfly Young Enthusiast Award to Zahir Raihan, a student of Chittagong University's zoology department. In addition, the Butterfly Media Award will be given in three categories for the first time for publishing reports on butterflies.

Events at the fair include a butterfly drawing competition for children, a butterfly photography exhibition, a rally, a butterfly photography competition, a visit to the butterfly haat, flying kites shaped like butterflies, origami butterflies, an open debate, a butterfly identification contest and butterfly documentary screenings.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.