Endangered butterflies offer hope for a comeback

After traveling 3000 km from the United States and Canada to the forests of west-central Mexico, the monarch butterflies appear in winter. Although its population has declined considerably and has already been threatened with extinction, in the last two years, population growth has been seen compared to previous years, and hope for its return takes account.

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The Monarch Butterflies

Found in the winter period in the forests of west-central Mexico, Monarch Butterflies attract the eyes tourist, seen from afar, their appearance resembles autumn leaves, covering the trees with shades of brown, orange it's black.

photo: shutterstock

With the rise of temperatures in the mountains, butterflies come out of the trees and fly among the tourists who visit the Mexican forests every year to be enchanted by them.

Where do monarch butterflies come from?

These butterflies travel about 2,000 miles, or 3,000 kilometers, to reach the forests of west-central Mexico, thus bringing many tourists to Sierra Chincua, a monarch sanctuary in the State of Michoacán, brought in the 1980s to the reservation of Biosphere of the Monarch Butterfly, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Extinction of Monarch Butterflies

The whole Mexican winter show may be coming to an end, as the Monarch Butterflies have been officially defined as an endangered species by the IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature. The species has seen a population decline of between 23% and 72% over the last 10 years.

This threat has gained greater proportions due to several factors, such as the deforestation of their natural habitats and constant climate change.

Accelerated deforestation has made species such as monarchs lose their space. In the 1990s, for example, these butterflies occupied a space in Michoacán, the city where they usually pass winter, from about 45 acres, or 18 hectares, however, this has drastically decreased to 7 acres, or 3 acre.

Hope for Monarchs

Despite its population having declined drastically, the migration of the year 2021 has reignited a hope in people's hearts about monarchs, after all, it was a third higher than that of the year from 2020.

Forest ranger Luiz Martinez is hopeful for 2022, as he expects this increase to continue. He states that: “this year we have more butterflies, more arrived because the colony is bigger”. The arrival of butterflies began on the holiday of the dead in Mexico, and for Mexicans, they represent a kind of return of the souls of their ancestors. One visitor even states: “it was like watching the souls flying overhead”.