Monarch butterflies are on the rise but still endangered.
The list of endangered animal species is very long, and it seems like every day, another new species is put on the list. However, there are also animals which manage to have a good comeback and may be cut from the infamous list.
Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially announced that the monarch butterfly population has increased by 255 percent after being protected in a special reserve in Mexico. Another report also claims that the manatee population in Florida is also on the rise for the second year in a row. This is why manatees are no longer on the endangered species list but on the threatened one.
When it comes to monarch butterflies, their situation has improved compared to last year when they populated only a 2.8-acre area in the reserve especially created for them. This year, they already occupy about 10 acres of the reserve which is a great improvement.
Seeing the monarch butterflies are truly endangered, authorities started planting milkweed last year. Milkweed is used by monarch butterflies for both food and shelter. Moreover, authorities asked homeowners to cut down on the use of insecticides to keep the risk for the butterflies to a minimum.
Although the population has seen an increase in numbers, it’s still a long way to go before they could reach their “usual” numbers. Back in the ‘90s, monarch butterflies were at their highest numbers. Since then, the population decreased by 90 percent. The main reason was the loss of habitat.
The habitat of monarch butterflies has been destroyed due to weather conditions and climate change as well because of heavy use of pesticides. Therefore, it is advised that farmers find more natural ways of protecting their crops, without harming the environment and insects or animals nearby.
Plus, as climate change is also an issue, researchers will be keeping an eye on changes happening to environments, which could be blamed on global warming. If CO2 emissions will indeed be cut as it was planned and promised in the climate talks happening in Paris, vegetation should recover, which means the natural habitat of monarch butterflies could be restored.
Image source: www.bing.com
