Much to the angst of conservationists and all friends of nature, experts have revealed that the second smallest population of monarch butterflies on record reached their wintering forests in central Mexico last fall.
The latest data from the non-profit World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its Mexican partners reveals that the species occupied only 2.2 acres during the 2023-2024 winter season—59 percent less than the previous year when scientists observed 5.5 acres. Experts measure the area of forest in which monarch butterflies hibernate each winter, providing a scientific indicator of their population status.
Monarch populations have been in decline since 2017, when their habitat decreased by 15 percent decline over the previous year, according to WWF data. Although the historic 2017 hurricane season took a deadly toll on the monarchs, many other factors have contributed to the decline, including climate change, the deforestation of habitat in Mexico, and the loss of native plants in the United States that monarchs rely on to feed and reproduce.
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