The beautiful monarch butterflies are even closer to extinction. Less than 2 remain, compared to millions before
The beautiful ones monarch butterflies are even closer toextinction. The population that winters along the California coast has hit an all-time low of less than 2.000, a decline of 99,9% from the 80s.
This was revealed by the latest count made by the Xerces Society which in recent days announced that only 1.914 monarch butterflies have been registered in California this year. This extremely low number is an all-time low, after two years in which the number of butterflies is less than 30.000. This means that the migration of western monarch butterflies is close to collapse.
In the 80s, these beautiful creatures filled the trees from Marin County to San Diego but today their fate seems sealed:
"In just a few decades, a migration of millions of butterflies has been reduced to less than two thousand," said Stephanie McKnight, a conservation biologist at the Xerces Society who helps coordinate the count.
How to help them
The Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count is a volunteer-led community science monitoring project that annually evaluates the number of monarch butterflies that overwinter in tree groves on the Pacific coast of California and northern Baja. The count is coordinated by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Mia Monroe, founder and coordinator.
Although the pandemic hampered the survey efforts, volunteers visited 246 wintering sites - 3 more than last year - ranging from Mendocino on the northern coast of California to Ensenada in southern California, Mexico.
"Volunteers have mobilized to make site visits safe and independent this season, realizing that the data we collect is especially important in this sad year documenting the decline of the monarch butterfly," said Mia Monroe.
What was considered an iconic event each year, with the monarch's wintering site at Pacific Grove, known as "Butterfly Town", now seems only a distant memory. Many areas of California are no longer home to any butterflies.
©Xerces
“These sites normally host thousands of butterflies and the their absence this year was heartbreaking for the volunteers and visitors who flocked to these places hoping to catch a glimpse of the astonishing clusters of monarchs, ”added Sarina Jepsen, who works on endangered species at the Xerces Society.
Why monarch butterflies are disappearing
There are many enemies of monarch butterflies, from the loss of habitat to the use of pesticides. Unfortunately, these animals do not enjoy state and federal legal protection in the US, an act that would prevent the destruction of their habitat.
In November, a US court ruled that terrestrial invertebrates (including pollinating insects like lemonarca and bumblebees) could not be protected under the California Endangered Species Act.
Even if the law does not protect them, it is still possible to help them by avoiding their extinction.The Xerces Society together with other researchers and partners have developed the Western Monarch Call to Action, a series of key steps that, if implemented quickly, can help to recover. the population. But there are numerous habitat restoration projects underway right now, although it is mainly the area of California where they winter that must be protected. There is the key to their survival.
“The Xerces Society will continue to pursue the protection of monarch butterflies and will work with a wide variety of partners to implement the science-based conservation actions needed to aid the iconic and beloved Western Monarch butterfly migration. Xerces will work hand-in-hand with farmers and ranchers to find practical solutions to restore and manage the pollinator habitat, ”explains Xerces.
Beautiful animals, considered architects of Nature given their amazing ability to group together on trunks, creating unusual shapes. Creatures that in a few years could disappear forever.
Sources of reference: Xerces
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