The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a Magical Place

Imagine a place where bright orange and black butterflies dot the trees thicker than multi-colored sprinkles on an ice-cream cone. There is such a place. Each year uncounted millions of monarch butterflies return to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca) located just northwest of Mexico City. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was established to protect the overwintering grounds of the Monarch Butterfly by the government of Mexico in 1986. On July 8, 2008, it was declared a World Natural Heritage site by the United Nations.

Every winter the trees in the 62-acre Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve bend under the weight of the butterflies. Monarch butterflies migrate down to the reserve during the winter because they cannot withstand cold and freezing winter temperatures that exist throughout much of their range. When the temperatures warm again in the spring the butterflies head north and scatter across nearly the entire United States and parts of Canada. The monarch butterflies that return the following year will be four generations removed from those that begin the eight month round trip journey.

Threats to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve

The forest of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was traditionally logged by the poor subsistence farmers who live in the area, but the establishment of the reserve in 1986 saw that practice outlawed. Illegal logging still takes place in the absence of any other viable way of life for the people of the region. A non-profit group, Alternare A.C., was created in 1998 to help educate the local people about the importance of conservation and to help them find alternative sources of income that do not damage the habitat within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.

The Importance of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve

The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve represents a critical link in the preservation of Monarch Butterflies throughout North America. Loss of this vital habitat would result in the deaths of hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies and endanger the continued survival of entire species. The importance of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was recently recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) when it declared the area a World Natural Heritage site. The designation was made on July 8, 2008. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was one of eight natural properties added to the list at UNESCO's 32nd session.

With the increased attention, we can only hope that our children don't have to imagine a place where the butterflies gather so thickly that they can sometimes break tree branches with their weight, because they'll be able to visit the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere reserve and see the real thing.

Sources:

Monarch Butterfly Conservation in North America, retrieved on July 10^th from http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/conservation/index.shtml

Alternare - Alternativas Reales - Inicio , retrieved on July 10^th from http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/conservation/index.shtml