# data[].attributes.headline
Conservation and management of monarch butterflies: a strategic framework

# data[].attributes.subject
Conservation and management of monarch butterflies: a strategic framework

# data[].attributes.body
A comprehensive report by leading monarch researchers discussing current conservation strategies and recommendations for protecting monarch populations.

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.lurBlDbo
Karen Oberhauser, Sonia Altizer, Karen Kinkead

# data[].attributes.body
An official assessment of monarch butterfly population status and threats, providing scientific data and conservation recommendations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Monarch Butterfly Species Status Assessment (SSA) Report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The monarch, Danaus plexippus, is a species of butterfly globally distributed throughout 90 countries, islands, and island groups. These butterflies are well known for their phenomenal long-distance migration in the North American populations. Descendants of these migratory monarch populations expanded from North America to other areas of the world where milkweed (their larval host plant) was already present or introduced. With the year-round presence of milkweed and suitable temperatures, many of these global monarch populations no longer migrate.

# data[].attributes.body
Annual updates on monarch population trends, migration patterns, and conservation efforts from one of the leading monarch butterfly research organizations.

# data[].attributes.body
An illustrated guide that includes detailed information about monarch butterflies, their lifecycle, and conservation efforts.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Amazing Monarch: The Secret Winged Guards of Mexico

# data[].attributes.subject
The Amazing Monarch: The Secret Winged Guards of Mexico

# data[].attributes.body
A beautiful photo essay book that explores the monarch's migration to Mexico and the conservation challenges they face.

# data[].attributes.headline
Make Way for Monarchs: A Guide to Our Threatened Migration

# data[].attributes.subject
Make Way for Monarchs: A Guide to Our Threatened Migration

# data[].attributes.body
A comprehensive online guide about monarch conservation, including practical tips for creating butterfly gardens and protecting habitats.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Monarch Butterfly | National Wildlife Federation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn facts about the monarch butterfly's habitat, diet, life history, and more.

# data[].attributes.headline
Monarch Joint Venture Conservation Strategy

# data[].attributes.subject
Monarch Joint Venture Conservation Strategy

# data[].attributes.body
Detailed strategies and action plans for monarch conservation, including ways students and communities can get involved.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This plan identifies and prioritizes current important actions for U.S. monarch conservation to facilitate cooperation and coordination among diverse…

# data[].attributes.headline
Journey North Monarch Butterfly Migration Tracking

# data[].attributes.subject
Journey North Monarch Butterfly Migration Tracking

# data[].attributes.body
Real-time citizen science data and educational resources about monarch migration and conservation efforts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Seasonal Message: Fall Migration Begins in August

Researchers, land managers, and many others rely on the help of Journey North volunteers to better understand the monarch's conservation needs. Your observations make a valuable contribution - and help tell the dramatic story of the monarch migration.

What To Report

1. Reporting category: Monarch Adult Sighted

Where are monarchs? Report all monarch adults (ie. butterflies, not eggs or larvae) regardless of whether migrating south. Report number of monarchs observed at a single location. Comments: Were the monarchs exhibiting directional flight? How did you estimate the number of monarchs observed? Other behaviors observed? Frequency: Report once a week when monarchs are present. Photos: Always welcome.

2. Reporting category: Monarch Egg Sighted

Is breeding happening? Report the presence of monarch egg(s). Because it is difficult to track individual eggs and larvae, daily counts of eggs and larvae are not necessary. Noting presence of monarch egg(s) is sufficient. If you want to count monarch egg(s), please count once during the week and submit one report with the totals counted that day. Comments: What milkweed species did you see the monarch egg(s)? Frequency: Report once a week when monarch eggs are present. Photos: Always welcome.

3. Reporting category: Monarch Larva Sighted

Is breeding happening? Report the presence of monarch larvae. Because it is difficult to track individual eggs and larvae, daily counts of egg(s) and larvae are not necessary. Noting presence of monarch larvae is sufficient. If you want to count monarch larvae, please count once during the week and submit one report with the totals counted that day. Comments: What milkweed species did you see the monarch larvae? Frequency: Report once a week when monarch larvae are present. Photos: Always welcome.

4. Reporting category: Monarch Other Observations

Where are monarchs? Observations of other interesting behaviors including mating, laying eggs, nectaring (please let us know plant species observed if known), basking in the sun, and deceased monarchs. Frequency: Report once a week. Occasional reporting welcome. Photos: Always welcome.

5. Reporting category: Milkweed Sighted

Where is milkweed? Report milkweed presence across the landscape. Comments: What milkweed species did you observe? Frequency: Report weekly when milkweed is present. Photos: Always welcome.

6. Reporting category: Monarch Peak Migration

When and where are peak migration events happening? Monarch fall migration is spectacular and also unpredictable. People often report seeing large numbers of monarchs flying in a clear directional flight or seeing "hundreds of butterflies" nectaring in a field of flowers fueling up for the long flight. If you witness what seems to be a large number of monarchs for your area (i.e. dozens, hundreds), please report this sighting under PEAK Migration. Comments: For reported numbers to be meaningful, what is the length of time you spent counting monarchs at one stationary location? Frequency: Report daily when possible to capture actual peak. Photos: Always welcome.

7. Reporting category: Monarch Roosts

When and where are monarch roosts? Migrating monarchs cluster together in trees at night, forming what is called a roost. A roost may have a handful of butterflies or more than you can count. Comments: How many monarchs did you observe within a roost for a single night? When did you observe roost formation? How did you estimate the number of monarchs roosting? What other observations did you notice (such as nearby nectar sources, species of tree(s) in roost, and whether the monarchs are shielded from the wind in their location)? Frequency: Report every night when roost is present. Resource: Estimating Fall Roost Size.

Subscription Information: Migration News

Stay attuned to the migration story by subscribing to Journey North Monarchs & Milkweed News Updates. Click the "subscribe" button in the top-right corner of any published news update.

During the fall, catch the news about fall monarch roosts and peak migration events. Learn when the Eastern population of monarchs reach the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and the Western population reaches sanctuaries along the coast of California. These news updates will be delivered to you twice a month.

Of Note

Because migratory species start their fall migration in August, the Journey North reporting categories and interactive maps are now primed to showcase the fall migration phenomenon. You can still view Journey North spring migration observational reports displayed on our interactive maps by following these simple instructions.

Instructions for viewing spring migration maps

Step 1: Go to Journey North Maps. Notice that these maps are set to display Fall 2022 migration data.

Step 2: Use the seasonal dropdown menu to select Spring 2022 migration season (or any previous season/year of interest).

You will now be able to select the map of interest.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Researchers, land managers, and many others rely on the help of Journey North volunteers to better understand the monarch's conservation needs. Your observations make a valuable contribution - and help tell the dramatic story of the monarch migration. What To Report 1. Reporting category: Monarch Adult Sighted Where are monarchs?

# data[].attributes.body
A practical guide for creating monarch habitat by planting native milkweed species, essential for monarch survival.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Below are a series of regional guides to the native milkweeds of North America. Live in the west? Please visit our Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper to learn more about milkweed species in the west, review detailed profiles, and learn how you can contribute to documenting observations of milkweed species in western states.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Restoring Habitat for Monarch Butterflies | National Wildlife Federation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From home gardens to sweeping grasslands, the National Wildlife Federation is engaged in restoring habitat for America's iconic monarch butterfly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Monarch Butterfly Fund was created to help conserve the magic of the monarch butterfly migration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Monarch Butterflies Are Endangered. Here's How You Can Help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The big news in the conservation world this summer is that the monarch butterfly is now an endangered species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed monarchs as endangered on their Red List of Threatened Species. This is different from the federal Endangered Species Act, which does not currently list monarch butterflies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When Pest Comes to Shove

Mosquito spraying harms pollinators and other wildlife-but there are safe alternatives.

A Culex nigripalpus mosquito (left) feeds on a mango flower. (Photo by Lawrence Reeves, Florida Medical Etymology Laboratory)

EVERY YEAR, MILLIONS OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES migrate south, riding air currents for up to 3,000 miles from the northern United States and southern Canada to central Mexico. But late last August, thousands of monarchs crossing the Midwest on their epic journey ran into a cloud of the insecticide permethrin-and perished. The insecticide had been sprayed from a plane by a government agency charged with controlling mosquitoes in the Fargo-Moorhead area of North Dakota and Minnesota. Yet permethrin, along with other pyrethroid products, also is frequently used by mosquito-control companies that spray residential backyards across the country.

Most of these businesses claim that their treatments kill only mosquitoes and other insect pests. "But without a doubt, spraying your yard for mosquitoes will harm other insects," says National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski. "The broad-spectrum insecticides used in commercial applications kill many bees, butterflies, moths, caterpillars, dragonflies and ladybugs." And the damage does not end there. Birds can also die, especially nestlings, when their insect food disappears. Fish and other aquatic organisms can succumb when the pesticides end up in nearby ponds and lakes, he says.

Yet Mizejewski also realizes that keeping mosquitoes at bay can be vital. In times past, these insects were primarily just a nuisance. But as climate change extends the range of many mosquito-borne tropical diseases-including Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus and dengue fever-the risks to humans are mounting. West Nile virus, which arrived in North America during the late 1990s, for example, kills between 100 and 200 people a year in the United States and Canada.

Still, "there are alternatives to pesticides," says Mizejewski. He and other experts recommend several strategies for protecting yourself and your family-while safeguarding beneficial insects, birds and other wildlife.

Reduce breeding populations

"Finding the source of your mosquitoes is critical," says Aimée Code, pesticide program director for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. "Many mosquitoes can lay their eggs in just 1 inch of water. You may have thousands of them breeding in your gutters." One way to keep gutters clean, she says, is to install a screen on the top to keep leaves from piling up and retaining water.

David Brown, technical advisor for the American Mosquito Control Association, says that some mosquito species can successfully lay eggs in just a bottle cap filled with water. He recommends keeping track of anything and everything that can hold water, including children's pools, pet bowls, flower pot saucers and watering cans, and also to check unexpected places such as leaking faucets and adjacent puddles. And don't forget your bird bath. The water should be completely dumped out and changed at least every two to three days.

In his latest book, Nature's Best Hope, Doug Tallamy, a University of Delaware entomologist, suggests placing a 5-gallon bucket in a sunny location in your backyard. Throw in some straw or hay and wait a few days. He says gravid female mosquitoes will find it irresistible and lay their eggs in the container. You can then add a "mosquito dunk" that contains Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or Bti, a natural bacterium that will kill the larvae when they hatch. If you have a pond or large water feature that cannot be drained, that's also a good place to use Bti. Because female mosquitoes avoid laying eggs in moving water, another option is to add a pump or fountain to your water feature.

Avoid introducing mosquitofish into a pond if they are not native to your part of the country. These small fish may devour mosquitoes, but they can also displace native minnows that do an equally good job consuming mosquito larvae. Other deterrents to avoid, says Brown, include ultrasonic devices, which don't work, and bug zappers, which kill very few mosquitoes but are proficient at dispatching beneficial insects such as moths and fireflies.

Likewise, experts discourage hiring companies that spray with essential oils such as lemongrass, rosemary, peppermint and other botanicals to control mosquitoes, because such products also may kill nontarget insects. Code notes that it takes longer for bees and other beneficial insects to bounce back from the impacts of pesticides, even natural ones, while mosquitoes are quick to recover.

To protect yourself from the pests, "make sure to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants or use a repellent," says Code, especially if you are out in the early morning or late evening when mosquitoes are most active. While some people prefer to steer clear of chemical repellents, the products do work well.

The best defenses

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a repellent with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol (the synthetic version of oil of lemon eucalyptus), IR3535 (found in Avon's insect repellents) and 2-undecanone (a natural chemical found in many plants). While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has registered all of these repellents for their safety, it's a good idea to avoid the potential overuse of any chemical products. According to the CDC, repellents should not be applied near the eyes or mouth and used only sparingly around the ears. There's no need to spray skin under clothing. If you are also using sunscreen, apply it first and the repellent second. Wash off treated skin when you go back inside.

Jason Pitts, a mosquito researcher and assistant professor of biology at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, says DEET repels mosquitoes the best. "I will choose DEET every time," he says. "It lasts the longest." And in many cases, he adds, "mosquitoes can actually smell and taste DEET, and they avoid it."

Another way to discourage mosquitoes is to set up one or two fans in your backyard. The insects "are weak flyers," says Code, and will often depart if confronted with a breeze. Research also shows that the current from a fan reduces a mosquito's ability to zero in on an individual.

Wildlife to the rescue

Gardening for wildlife will attract many natural predators of mosquitoes. Dragonflies and damselflies, for example, are voracious mosquito eaters. Turtles, frogs and bats will also devour the insects as will many species of birds, from hummingbirds to woodpeckers, warblers and wrens.

"Predators will never kill every last mosquito, of course," says Mizejewski. "But the most-effective way for people to reduce their numbers is to target larvae, not spray adults."

Even if you keep mosquitoes at bay in your own yard without spraying, when your neighbors use pesticides, you still will lose pollinators and other beneficial insects. "Let your voice be heard," Mizejewski says. Talk to people who live near you. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. If your community has a neighborhood association, attend meetings and speak up. If possible, engage your city and county governments to encourage alternatives to spraying-such as introducing natural predators and parasites-as part of their mosquito-control programs.

Mizejewski stresses that such individual actions are important. Nearly 3 billion birds have disappeared from North America since 1970-in part due to the loss of their insect prey-and some insects are themselves vanishing at warp speed. "Pesticides are a significant contributor to all of these wildlife declines," Mizejewski says. "How we fight mosquitoes at home really matters."
Regular contributor Doreen Cubie controls pests naturally in her Certified Wildlife Habitat® in South Carolina.
More from National Wildlife magazine and the National Wildlife Federation:

Make Your Yard a Spray-Free Zone "
Habitat Help in the Age of Zika "
What You Need to Know Before Spraying for Mosquitos "

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mosquito spraying harms pollinators and other wildlife-but there are safe alternatives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mosquito Spraying Kills - In the Shadows of Butterflies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As butterflies emerge, mosquito spraying companies flood mailboxes. If you want to make your garden a safe place, don’t believe the hype.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 1:14 pm by Jim Lovett
Filed under Mexico, Monarch Conservation | 1 Comment "

The rapid degradation of monarch habitats in both Mexico and the United States is now too compelling to ignore. We must act.

DEFORESTATION AND MONARCH CONSERVATION
Chip Taylor (Monarch Watch)
13 March 2008

Earlier this month, Lincoln Brower, Dan Slayback, Robert Simmon, and Isabel Ramirez published NASA photos showing deforestation within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. At the time of publication, we (Monarch Watch) were in Mexico buying recovered tags as part of our program to assess the dynamics of the monarch migration. We visited four monarch colonies and witnessed first-hand the impact of deforestation. The rapid degradation of monarch habitats in both Mexico and the United States is now too compelling to ignore. We must act. In this communication, I'll summarize my views on the effects of habitat loss in Mexico and the United States and will reflect on what needs to be done to conserve the monarch migration.
Impact of Deforestation on Monarchs
Deforestation is already contributing to the mortality of overwintering monarchs. In the winter of 2006-2007 a small monarch colony formed at a site known locally as Aseradero on the northwest aspect of Cerro Pelon, one of the most deforested areas in the region. The trees at this location were relatively small (4-10 meters) and offered little protection from winds and cold weather. A large proportion of the monarchs died at this site when the temperature dropped below freezing in January 2007. No surviving monarchs were present when we visited this location in March 2007 (see " New Tree Nursery Near Cerro Pelon ").

The degradation of the forest surrounding the Aseradero colony can be seen in satellite photos of the area (see monarchwatch.org/mx/aseradero.jpg).

This year at Cerro Pelon, the El Capulin colony formed in a relatively degraded forest near the top of a ridge. Monarch colonies typically move during the winter and tend to progress down southwesterly-facing slopes. In this case, the monarchs moved progressively down-slope to the northwest across a badly degraded area and settled in the Las Canoas arroyo where we saw them on the 6th of March. There is one large tree in the arroyo and it was covered with monarchs (see monarchwatch.org/mx/capulin.jpg and monarchwatch.org/mx/capulin-tree.jpg). The surrounding trees were also covered with monarchs but there was little in the way of canopy to protect the butterflies from freezing temperatures. I was shocked to see how exposed this colony was at this time but now realize that it has been exposed through most of the winter, resulting in the death of millions of monarchs. Typically, 10-20% of the monarchs at each colony die of various causes during the winter, though rainfall followed by freezing temperatures can be devastating as it was in January of 2002 and January and February of 2004. Excessive mortality due to exposure throughout the winter is not the norm for monarch colonies. Evidence of greater mortality for the El Capulin colony this year comes from eyewitness accounts and is also reflected in the number of tag recoveries. In years without catastrophic mortality due to winter storms, we recover an average of twenty-two tags from the residents of communities on Cerro Pelon. The tags are usually found on dead butterflies beneath the clusters and the numbers recovered from most of the colonies appear to be proportional to the overwintering mortality. Ninety-two tags were recovered at Cerro Pelon this season - more than four times the typical rate of recovery.
Deforestation
The rate of deforestation in the Monarch Biosphere Reserve exceeds the rate of natural forest replacement and the current efforts at reforestation. It is simply not sustainable and must be reduced. Estimates of the rate of deforestation vary depending on the time period, the authorities involved, and perhaps the methodologies used to make the estimates. Nevertheless, it is clear that the average annual rate of deforestation (2-5%) is devastating the monarch overwintering habitat and destroying the forests that sustain the water supplies supporting the people in the region. Nearly all of the old growth forests with >200 year-old oyamel fir trees are gone from the monarch reserve and for decades monarchs have overwintered in areas with trees ranging from 40 to 80 years of age. In the last two years, possibly due to the lack of more mature forests, monarchs have attempted to overwinter at three sites at which most of the trees were less than 15 years old. Such forests do not protect the monarchs from periodic freezes and monarch mortality is known to have been high at two of these sites.

Illegal logging persists in spite of President Calderon's attempts to crack down on these activities (see " Crackdown on Illegal Logging in Mexico ") and it seems certain to continue. Local residents at Cerro Pelon told me that 2-3 loaded logging trucks leave the core zone on that mountain each night - with the knowledge of local officials. In their view, the only way to control illegal logging is to station rotating units of the Mexican army in areas where illegal logging is extensive. Stopping illegal logging may be impossible, but reducing these activities to manageable levels through enforcement and incentives is needed to slow the rate of degradation of these forests.
Reforestation
At current levels of planting, reforestation can't keep pace with deforestation. Close to half of the 56,259-hectare Monarch Biosphere Reserve is degraded and in need of some degree of reforestation. Two reforestation efforts are underway, one by World Wildlife Fund Mexico (WWFMX), in collaboration with the Mexican government, and the other by the Michoacan Reforestation Fund (MRF). The former has planted more than 2.1 million fir, pine, and cedar trees (mostly in the core of the reserve) over the last 4 years. MRF, using contributions from individuals and grants from American Forests, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service has worked with the La Cruz Habitat Protection Project in Mexico to plant more than 2.7 million fir and pine trees (mostly in the buffer zone and areas adjacent to the reserve) over the last 10 years. Although both of these programs are striving to reforest the monarch reserve, more trees need to be planted just to keep pace with the rate of deforestation. Frankly, reforestation efforts need to increase 2-3 fold in the next few years so that areas progressively degraded over the life of the reserve can be replanted. A promising development is the creation of a new tree nursery with the capacity of 800,000 seedlings per year at San Juan Xoconusco by WWFMX and Mexican government agencies (see " New Tree Nursery Near Cerro Pelon "). Four additional nurseries are in the planning stages, each with an annual capacity of 50,000 seedlings. MRF is increasing its capacity as well but more money is needed by both of these programs to assure that more seedlings are propagated, planted, and well tended.

The ease of reforestation depends greatly on the type of landscape being planted. Areas that have been selectively logged and contain mature trees reseed and therefore require little planting. Landscapes that were formerly crop lands are easily reforested as secondary growth is readily controlled. Clear-cut areas, which are rapidly invaded by dense 3-4 meter tall weedy vegetation, are particularly challenging to reforest since this vegetation competes for light, space, and nutrients and chokes out the newly planted trees. The north side of Cerro Pelon has been nearly clear-cut and the growth and survival of seedlings planted in the cut over areas appears to be quite low (see monarchwatch.org/mx/pelon.jpg). Reestablishing the forest on this slope will involve many replantings, take a long time, and cost a great deal.
Habitat Loss in United States
Habitat loss in the United States is also a threat to the monarch population. Development consumes 6,000 acres (9.4 square miles) a day, 2.2 million acres per year - this is roughly equivalent to losing an area of habitat the size of the state of Illinois (the 24th largest U.S. state) every sixteen years. In addition, the adoption of Roundup® Ready soybeans and corn has reduced monarch habitat by at least 100 million acres since 1996 (see " Roundup Ready Crops and Resistant Weeds"). Further, the incentives to produce biofuels over the last three years is leading growers to convert monarch habitat in the form of marginal lands and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage to cornfields. In an attempt to compensate for these losses, Monarch Watch initiated the Monarch Waystation program in 2005. The goals of this program are to create, conserve, and protect monarch habitats and to educate the public about the need to do more to preserve wildlife. To date, 1,900 Monarch Waystations have been certified and registered, but this is not enough. We need to create and protect more habitat for monarchs and other species. It is easy for me to envision the monarch migration as already being on a long slow death spiral - I have worked with monarchs for the last sixteen years and witnessed habitat degradation in both the United States and Mexico. Indeed, the population may be declining already (see " Overwintering Monarch Population 2007-2008 "). What a shame it would be to lose this magnificent natural phenomenon - a sad indictment of the quality of human stewardship. This need not happen; all of the problems associated with monarch conservation can be solved. We need the will, cooperation, and dollars (and pesos) to make it happen.
The Solutions
A Mexican colleague wisely pointed out that the monarchs will not be saved unless a way is found to make the living trees more valuable than those that are cut for lumber. This statement makes sense but how can the "collective we" (i.e., all of those interested in monarch conservation including WWFMX and the Mexican government) convince the members of the ninety-one ejidos and indigenous communities in the monarch reserve that it is in their best interests to protect the forests? A possible solution is a system of incentives. To make the living trees more valuable may require paying the local residents to plant, thin, and otherwise maintain the forests rather than paying them not to cut the trees. A system of incentives involving fair compensation for forest management, rather than one of prohibitions, is badly needed. Incentives available to all communities are likely to be more successful than the present scheme in which some of the communities benefit from tourism while others do not receive this source of income. Some progress is being made in providing incentives through funds available from the Monarch Fund. This fund, which is administered by WWFMX, was established from a $5 million grant from the Packard Foundation with an addition of $1 million from the Mexican government and a total of $750,000 from the states of Michoacan and Mexico. The interest from this fund is used to pay cooperating communities. However, these funds (about $224,000/year) are not sufficient to engage the residents of all the communities within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in the level of stewardship required to sustain the forests. Fully funding the incentive program I envision will necessitate an increase in the Monarch Fund's endowment from the $6.75 million at present to at least $25 million. Endowments are used to sustain many worthwhile programs and could be used effectively to conserve monarchs as well. This incentive program is not the only solution. Complimentary programs such as Alternare are needed to train local residents so they can more efficiently farm their lands and develop alternative sources of income.
Monarchs as a Metaphor for Conservation
Monarch conservation involves international and local politics, inadequate international cooperation, insufficient funding, habitat loss due to legally sanctioned development and illegal exploitation, a group of passionate advocates, and a largely uninformed and indifferent public. Efforts are underway to improve international cooperation but progress is slow. Insufficient funding limits most conservation efforts and that is the case here. More funding is needed to support international cooperation, reforestation, and protection of the existing forest resources.

Further, the planet is changing rapidly and monarchs are certain to be negatively affected by global warming and indirectly affected by increasing levels of carbon dioxide, nitrification, and the increasing unpredictability of rainfall (see " Changes in the Composition of Plant Communities "). To effectively protect the monarch migration, we will need to address numerous political, economic, and environmental issues.
Acknowledgements
Lincoln Brower, Carlos Galindo Leal, and Eduardo Rendon Salinas provided information used in this summary but all the opinions in the above are mine. Jim Lovett, Ann Ryan, and Janis Lentz reviewed the text and provided useful suggestions.

Orley R. "Chip" Taylor
Director, Monarch Watch
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Deforestation and Monarch Conservation - Monarch Watch

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The rapid degradation of monarch habitats in both Mexico and the United States is now too compelling to ignore. We must act. DEFORESTATION AND MONARCH CONSERVATION Chip Taylor (Monarch Watch) 13 March 2008 Earlier this month, Lincoln Brower, Dan Slayback, Robert Simmon, and Isabel Ramirez published NASA photos showing deforestation within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is Monarch Watch Tagging? — Science Mill

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Monarch butterfly, with its distinctive orange and black wings, is one of nature’s most captivating and iconic creatures. Each year, these magnificent insects undertake an incredible journey, traveling thousands of miles from North America to their wintering grounds in Mexico. The remarkable sto