Millions of Monarch Butterflies Have Gone Missing, and There Is One Thing Humans Can Do To Help
Monarch populations are teetering on extinction, their numbers down to 5% of what they were a few decades ago. Here’s what to know and the simplest way to help.
February 8, 2024 | Source: BBC | by Mia Taylor
Decades ago, monarch butterflies were so plentiful that the sound emanating from overwintering groves filled with the brightly coloured insects flapping their wings was described by observers as being akin to a gentle summer rain or a rippling stream. In some cases, tree branches would even collapse under the weight of clusters of monarchs. But recent overwintering counts of the western and eastern migrating monarchs conducted in California and Mexico make clear that gatherings of that magnitude are part of a bygone era.
In the forests of central Mexico, where eastern monarch butterflies have long wintered, the species were estimated to occupy a mere 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres) during the 2023-2024 winter season. That’s 59% less than one year earlier, when the butterflies occupied 2.2 hectares (5.5 acres) – according to the results of an annual survey released this week by the World Wildlife Fund and its partners.