Monarch Butterflies Are Disappearing And It's Partially Our Fault

[Buster's Uncle]

Monarch Butterflies Are Disappearing And It's Partially Our Fault
Mic
By Andrew Leung  2 hours ago



The World Wildlife Foundation has reported that the population of monarch butterflies in Mexico is at its lowest in 20 years. The three major threats to their decline include deforestation, extreme weather conditions and the rise of herbicide-based agriculture destroying milkweed flora, where monarch butterflies lay their eggs, according to biologist Lincoln Brower.

"The forest serves as a blanket and umbrella for the butterflies," Brower said to the Washington Post. Though the area is in the tropics, its elevation of 11,000 above sea level can result in temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius. "Butterflies can tolerate that provided they're not wet," Brower said, "but if they get wet, they lose their resistance."



Source: Nati Harnik/AP


Typically, colonies of monarch butterflies flock to Oyamel fir forests in central Mexico in November to survive winter. "The colonies are spread across 12 mountain ranges in Mexico, and in the biggest year on record they covered 21 hectares," Brower said. "Two years ago, that was down to 2.89 hectares. Last year, it was down to about 1.19 hectares. That's a highly significant trend." Additionally, the WWF reports that this past year, monarch butterflies only occupied 0.67 hectares.

Brower notes that should the monarch butterfly go extinct, it would be no different from the loss of the carrier pigeon, at least from an ecological standpoint. However, Brewer emphasizes that the monarch butterfly is often used as a tool to teach biology to kids, "unequaled by any other insect in the world" due to its unique migration.



Source: Giphy


With all that said, Brower is cautiously optimistic about monarch butterflies bouncing back, but the conditions have to be just right: from healthy milkweeds, to no drought in Texas or freezing in Mexico. "Monarchs can lay 300 or 400 eggs, and their reproductive capacity is rather extraordinary," Brower said. "Like cockroaches, they've managed to survive eons, through thick and thin, through asteroids and everything."


http://news.yahoo.com/monarch-butterflies-disappearing-partially-fault-152700826.html

[Unorthodox]

Where the hell did they get their information?

[Unorthodox]

Double checking their claimed source of the WWF...

http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/survey-suggests-migratory-monarchs-are-rebounding-with-a-long-road-ahead

A new survey conducted last December indicates migratory monarch butterfly populations grew in 2015, occupying almost 10 acres of forest in their hibernation sites in Mexico. Though this shows a boost from the previous two years, the numbers are considerably low compared to 20 years ago.

Scientists track monarch butterfly populations by measuring the area of forest in which they hibernate during the winter. This means the larger the area of forest in which we find monarchs hibernating, the larger the population of butterflies. These fascinating creatures occupied only 2.79 acres in 2014, and a mere 1.66 acres in 2013, when they reached the lowest levels ever.

While this uptick in acreage could suggest a recovery, it’s still well below the nearly 45 acres in which monarchs spent the winter months in 1996.

“Now more than ever, Mexico, the United States, and Canada should increase their conservation efforts to protect and restore the habitat of this butterfly along its migratory route,” said Omar Vidal, Director General for WWF-Mexico.

Monarch butterflies travel between 1,200 to 2,800 miles from Canada, through the United States, and into Mexico where they rest in temperate fir and pine forests. Along the way, they encounter numerous threats related to a changing climate, deforestation, and loss of milkweed—the only plant they use to breed, and upon which larvae feed and grow before they turn in to butterflies. The combination of these hazards has vastly impacted their populations.

Since 2003, WWF, federal and state governments in Mexico, and other partners have conducted scientific surveys to gain insight to the health of migratory monarch populations. Local communities also play a role in preventing illegal logging, drastically decreasing deforestation and forest degradation.

Migratory monarchs need partnerships across North America that will address the use of herbicides on crops, illegal logging, and our changing climate. It’s a big challenge, but together we can save them, and save this unique migratory phenomenon.

That news in the OP is from 2014 and being recirculated now as current. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Now THAT'S some science journalism.