Why Migrant Butterflies Are Dying
Border Policies, Corporate Greed, and Political Dysfunction Hurt Monarchs and Humans Alike
In July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus plexippus, to its Red List of Threatened Species, a recognition that the insect’s ongoing decline could lead to extinction. Though monarch numbers increased 35% from December 2020 to December 2021, their numbers overall have been in steep decline for the last three decades. As the IUCN listing indicates, now is a crucial time to reassess monarch conservation policies across North America.
As a woman born in Mexico and now living and teaching in Canada, I …
