US EditionStudy: Monarch Butterflies Remain at-Risk of Extinction
- Monarch butterflies aggregated in trees covering about 7.2 acres of forest in Mexico this winter, marking a 64% increase from 4.4 acres the previous year.
- Karen Oberhauser, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin Madison, attributes the population increase to favorable weather and abundant rain along the migration route last year.
- Despite the recovery, Andy Davis, assistant research scientist at UGA's Odum School of Ecology, warns that "The monarchs are increasingly failing to reach their winter destinations." Either they're losing migration ability or will.
- Donald Trump's administration postponed final Endangered Species Act protections until at least late September 2026, prompting environmental groups to sue for a binding deadline on the listing decision.
- Current numbers remain well below the 15 acres scientists consider sustainable, leaving monarchs vulnerable to extinction risks across North America despite the winter recovery.
24 Articles
24 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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