Conservation Letters And The Monarch Butterfly
A study shows most Americans place value on the security of the ailing monarch butterfly, which is experiencing a steep decrease in numbers.
The study, released in Conservation Letters, discovered almost three-quarters of those surveyed support preservation efforts for the well-known species, and also want to invest several billion dollars to help increase their numbers.
The annual migration of monarch butterflies is one of nature’s most attractive sights, and they are celebrated in a number of celebrations held across North America.
The monarch butterflies travel in the millions every year from Nova Scotia right to their wintering grounds in the woodlands of Mexico.
This is a 3000 mile journey that takes four generations of monarch butterflies to accomplish. The bad is is every year fewer and fewer monarch butterflies make the journey because their population has been decreasing across The United States and Canada for around 15 years.
Scientists have determined the number of monarch butterflies by calculated the coverage of their winter grounds. There average coverage has been 6.39 hectares from 1994-2014 but has also been on a steady decline.
The monarch butterflies only covered 0.67 hectares during the 2013-2014 winter season, which was 10 times smaller than the average, and a 44 percent drop from 2012.
The decrease in numbers is blame d primarily on the loss of milkweed, which are the natural feeding grounds for the caterpillars.
GMO crops, herbicide-tolerant plants, such as corn as well as soybeans, and the herbicide used to protect the plants has led to the severe in milkweed.
Karen Oberhauser, a co-author of the study and a monarch biologist from the University of Minnesota, said the stated breeding, moving, and overwintering habitat loss are all aspects influencing the decline of the monarch population.
The study uncovered that more than half of the American participants were “not aware” of the decline of the monarch butterflies. Seventy percent of those questioned thought conserving monarchs was very important, while only three percent said it was not important.
