US EditionStudy: Monarch Butterflies Remain at-Risk of Extinction
Despite a 64% population increase last winter, monarch roost sizes have declined up to 80% since the 1990s, keeping the species at historic risk of extinction, researchers say.
- Monarch butterflies are increasingly failing to reach their winter destinations, losing their ability or will to migrate, according to a study published in PNAS.
- Raising monarch butterflies in captivity, either indoors or outdoors, reduces their ability to migrate properly, the study's authors found.
- While the monarch butterfly population has increased by 64% recently, environmental challenges still put the migratory eastern monarch at risk of extinction, experts say.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Study: Monarch butterflies remain at-risk of extinction
An annual count of monarch butterflies conducted by the United States and Mexico as the insects migrate back and forth over the border finds habitat for the insects isn't enough to sustain their populations, and are at-risk for extinction.
Mexico City, 17 Mar (EFE).- The area of forest occupied by the monarch butterfly in Mexico during the 2025-2026 season reached 2.93 hectares, an increase of 64 % compared to the 1.79 hectares of the previous period, according to the owner of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), Alicia Bárcena. When presenting the results of forest monitoring and hibernation colonies, the official celebrated the recovery, but warned of…
Scientists finally have something hopeful to tell us about monarch butterflies
Monarchs stop to drink nectar from flowers in Austin, Texas, on their migration down to Mexico. | Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images For the past quarter century, the future of monarch butterflies has looked dire, with these iconic American insects flitting toward extinction. Now, however, there is at least a small reason for hope: New data from WWF Mexico, a large conservation group, offers further evidence that the dec…
Around 64 percent more area was occupied by the butterflies in their Mexican winter quarters. Nevertheless, the fascinating migration of the animals from Canada and the USA to Mexico remains threatened.
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