In a hopeful turn for one of North America’s most iconic insects, the Mexican National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) announced that monarch butterfly populations wintering in the country nearly doubled from the previous year. At a joint press conference with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the agency reported that the butterflies’ overwintering area reached 1.79 hectares in the 2024 season, up from 0.9 hectares in 2023.
Although the data reverses a downward trend observed between 2022 and 2024, the current figure remains far below the record 18.19 hectares registered in the winter of 1996–1997. Rather than counting individual butterflies, scientists measure the area they occupy in the mountainous forests of Michoacán and the State of Mexico, where the insects gather between October and March after migrating from the eastern United States and Canada.
“We were favored by the climate, the humidity,” said Gloria Tavera Alonso, general director of conservation for development at CONANP. She also credited conservation efforts in the United States to cultivate more nectar-producing plants and provide increased feeding and breeding space for monarchs. These joint cross-border efforts, she noted, appear to have helped bolster the butterfly population this season.
Still, officials expressed caution, pointing to ongoing fluctuations that scientists believe are heavily tied to climate change. Jorge Rickards, general director of WWF Mexico, underscored the need for vigilance:
“We must not let our guard down. Changes must be closely monitored so we can make adaptation plans and direct efforts toward the conservation of this emblematic orange and black winged insect.”
No Trade Complications, for Now
Some concerns have been raised about whether recent trade tensions among the United States, Mexico, and Canada could undercut trilateral conservation initiatives. Pedro Álvarez Icaza, head of CONANP, dismissed that possibility and emphasized that existing agreements to protect the monarch migration are safeguarded.
A Bleak Season in the United States
While Mexico’s numbers have improved, the United States’ western monarch population suffered a significant setback. A count by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation revealed only 9,119 monarchs in 2024—a 96% decrease from the 233,394 recorded the previous year and the second-lowest figure since the survey began in 1997. In 2020, only 1,901 monarchs were documented, marking the worst year on record.
Experts attribute these losses in part to disappearing milkweed—critical for monarch caterpillars—and to extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, and intense heat. Pesticide use and urban development also threaten the plant’s survival.
Conservation and Protections in the Works
In response, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in December that it is considering listing monarch butterflies as an endangered species. Such a designation would prohibit any actions that could harm the butterflies’ habitat—especially milkweed—and would protect 1,779 hectares in seven coastal counties in California where western monarchs overwinter.
The agency has until December to finalize its decision. However, Tavera Alonso voiced concern about focusing solely on endangered species listing. Rather, she argued that sustaining and preserving essential wild plant sites, including milkweed fields, should be a priority over expanding agricultural lands.
Despite Mexico’s encouraging uptick this year, conservationists on both sides of the border stress that the monarch’s future remains fragile. Ongoing collaboration among government agencies, NGOs, and local communities will be crucial if the monarch butterfly, a cherished symbol of nature’s migrations, is to continue its extraordinary journey across North America.
In a hopeful turn for one of North America’s most iconic insects, the Mexican National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) announced that monarch butterfly populations wintering in the country nearly doubled from the previous year. At a joint press conference with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the agency reported that the butterflies’ overwintering area reached 1.79 hectares in the 2024 season, up from 0.9 hectares in 2023.
