Monarch butterflies make impressive comeback in Mexico’s Wintering Grounds
Monarch butterfly population has bounced back as per the data collected from Mexico. Officials at the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that a surge has been seen in the population of wintering monarchs in Mexico. The progress is positive for monarch butterflies, but experts believe future of the highly recognizable pollinator is still uncertain.
A recent survey found that the wintering monarch butterflies covered more than four hectares of the forest region in Mexico. The figures are better than previously recorded 1.13 hectares in 2014, said investigators who conducted the survey in December 2015.
Despite the impressive progress, monarch experts say current population of the butterflies is still less than highest recorded figures. About 20 year ago, one billion monarchs inhabited the Mexico’s forest, the experts said.
In 2014, more than 33 million orange-and-black butterflies were seen in the area, while in 2015, the population reached 56.5 million. The progress has been called positive, but experts believe it is far from the butterfly population recorded two decades ago.
The recent survey indicated that future of the monarch butterfly population is still grim, but it also suggested that people should continue their work to boost the insect’s numbers.
Omar Vidal, director general of World Wildlife Fund in Mexico, said, “Now is the time to ramp up efforts to protect and restore habitats of these butterflies in North America”.
Several US environmental and safety organizations have called for strict actions to help the dwindling population of the butterfly. Some have even said that the Fish and Wildlife Service should declare the butterfly species as endangered. Not only environmental agencies, but private organizations are also contributing to the cause.
Monsanto, an agrochemical company based in Creve Coeur, is among the private firms that are helping the cause for improving the butterfly’s population.