The presence of Monarch butterflies decreases in Mexican hibernation forests

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The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources , through the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas , and the WWF report that the presence of the Monarch butterfly during the 2023-2024 winter within the Mexican hibernation forests It was 0.9 hectares (ha), in nine colonies, four in Michoacán and five in the State of Mexico. In a press conference, Peña Fuentes, head of , highlighted that the Federal Government took firm steps in the current administration to preserve this spectacular migratory phenomenon, such as the publication of the decree to gradually reduce the use of glyphosate in Mexico in December 2020. to increase the populations of pollinators, including the Monarch butterfly. It is clear that one of the great threats they face along their migratory route is the use of herbicides and pesticides, which decreases their reproductive habitat and affects their health. He added that has carried out a series of actions in the Federal Protected Natural Areas (ANP) that are part of the migratory route, as well as in hibernation sites in the states of Mexico and Michoacán, such as working hand in hand with ejidos and communities through support programs such as PROCODES and PROREST.

With these, biological monitoring is carried out in the forests, community surveillance operations, attention to forest fires, fire break gaps, attention to the presence of pests and diseases to maintain the health of forest ecosystems in the region, good forest management with the certification of forests and strengthening of enterprises to offer better attention to visitors during the tourist season, among which the Monarch Thailand Phone Number List butterfly collective seal stands out, he concluded. Likewise, the general director of Conservation of , Gloria Fermina Alonso, explained that, during the second half of December 2023, nine butterfly colonies were recorded, four in Michoacán and five in the State of Mexico, which occupied a total of 0.9 hectares (ha) of forest, which represents a decrease of 59.3% compared to the area of ​​2.21 hectares of the 2022-2023 season, according to the annual report prepared by and the WWF-TELMEX Foundation Alliance Telcel. This season, five colonies (0.23 ha) were located within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (RBMM) and four outside it (0.62 ha). The largest colonies were detected outside the RBMM, in the San Antonio ejido, in the sanctuary, with 0.34 ha, and in the Ojo de Agua ejido, de Peña , with 0.21 ha, both in the State of Mexico . In the El Rosario ejido, in the Sierra sanctuary, Michoacán, where the largest colony is traditionally located, the butterflies occupied an area of ​​.



For the second time, the El Rosario colony was not the largest aggregation of butterflies. Studies along their migratory route indicate that climatic variations in their breeding areas in Canada and the United States favored high temperatures and drought, which caused a lower availability of milkweeds, the plants where the butterflies lay their eggs, and which their larvae feed on. Other threats to the Monarch are changes in land use in North America, including forest degradation in Mexico. “The reduction in the area occupied by Monarchs during this hibernation should alert us that the location of the colonies in Mexico is changing since this year the largest colonies were present in the de Toluca Flora and Fauna Protection Area. . This tells us that we should not let our guard down in the conservation of the forests within the Reserve, but also that it is necessary to intensify conservation, sustainable management and restoration measures in other Protected Natural Areas of the Monarch Region to maintain migration. and hibernation of these butterflies.” Jorge Rickards, general director of Mexico.