The Alarming Decline of Monarch Butterflies: A North American Icon at Risk

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), once a beloved and iconic insect across North America, has been experiencing a continuous and distressing decline in population over recent decades, yet still awaits formal protection. This species, renowned for its spectacular long - distance migrations, has captured the hearts of people with its bright orange and black wings.

In their overwintering grounds, both in Mexico for the eastern population and in California, USA for the western population, Monarch butterflies are closely monitored and studied. However, the numbers of these butterflies have been plummeting. In Mexico, the eastern population, which congregates in the oyamel fir forests, has seen a drastic reduction. From 1996 - 2014, the eastern population declined by a staggering 84%. The butterflies' overwintering sites in Mexico are crucial, but they are under threat from illegal logging and deforestation, which destroy the forests where the Monarchs roost.

The situation is even more dire for the western population in California. Their numbers have dropped by a heart - wrenching 99.9% since the 1980s, with less than 1914 individuals recorded in the winter of 2020 - 2021. Once, millions of western Monarchs would gather along the California coast, but now, their presence is a rare sight. Pesticide and herbicide use in their breeding and migration areas is a major culprit. These chemicals kill not only the Monarchs themselves but also the milkweed plants, which are essential for the survival of Monarch caterpillars as their sole food source. Additionally, climate change has led to more extreme weather events, such as droughts, wildfires, and intense storms, which disrupt the Monarchs' life cycle and migration patterns. Despite their significant decline, the Monarch butterfly has yet to receive the formal protection it so urgently needs to reverse its downward population trend.