Monarch Butterflies Flutter toward an Uncertain Future - endangered species - Brief Article

Animals, Summer, 2001

Despite a swirl of allegations that loggers were behind the deaths of 300,000 Monarch butterflies in the mountains of Mexico this winter, authorities have concluded that climate and habitat destruction were the actual culprits. In a region fraught with poverty, the charges that loggers used pesticides to intentionally annihilate the butterflies most likely reflect the tension and distrust between environmentalists and loggers.

The dead butterflies were found in a San Andres mountain reserve, in Michoacan state, which has been hit hard by illicit logging. Killing the creatures, it was speculated, would ultimately end any need for restrictions.

Upon closer investigation, however, scientists found no evidence of pesticides or wrongdoing. Instead, they discovered a mountain habitat decimated by wildfire in recent years. The cause of the deaths most likely was the combination of chilly conditions and lack of forest cover.

The deaths come at a time of high concern for migratory Monarch butterflies, whose numbers are dwindling across Mexico, the United States, and Canada, largely because of habitat loss.