Mexico: Monarch butterflies drop 53% in wintering area
2 hours ago
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies that showed up at their winter resting grounds decreased about 53% this year, Mexican officials said Friday.
Some activists called the decline “heartbreaking,” but the Mexico head of the World Wildlife Fund said the reduction “is not alarming.”
WWF Mexico director Jorge Rickards said the previous year’s large numbers were “atypical” and the monarchs had returned to their average population levels of recent years.
The government commission for natural protected areas said the butterflies’ population was “stable,” even though they covered only 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) this year. That was down from 6.05 hectares (14.95 acres) the previous year. Because the monarchs cluster so densely in pine and fir trees, it is easier to count them by area rather than by individuals.
https://apnews.com/93e2577c13244fc10319126fdc1e5cda
Human kind and pesticides are killing our pollination vehicle.......................