It is learnt that the Forest Department has proposed a second government-run butterfly park at Mollem with central funds. At present Goa has a lone state-run butterfly park at its Cotigao wildlife sanctuary. Along with the butterfly park, development of a biodiversity park at Mollem has reportedly been proposed. More than 17, 000 species of butterflies are found all over the world. Of these, India is home to about 1,500 species of butterflies which constitute 65% of total Indian fauna. Usually rearing chambers called butterfly boxes are maintained at the park. The intent of the butterfly box is to give butterflies a dry place to go during inclement weather or a place to hibernate during the winter. A butterfly house is a facility which is specifically intended for the breeding and display of butterflies with an emphasis on education. India's first butterfly park, also the largest in the world, was opened to the public in November 2006 at Bengaluru. Butterfly parks also serve as eco-tourism projects in order to create awareness and sensitize people on the importance of butterflies to the ecosystem.
