00:00The migratory monarch butterfly has joined the endangered species list this week.
00:05The IUCN indicated that the butterfly is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
00:10The migratory monarch weighs less than a gram, but performs one of the most amazing journeys in the animal kingdom.
00:15Migratory monarchs travel from wintering grounds in Mexico and California to breeding grounds.
00:20In Canada and the northern United States, the migration can stretch up to 2500 miles.
00:25And a full cycle takes months.
00:27To survive the journey, monarchs rely on rest stops and specific habits.
00:30And habitats that provide winter shelter for the insects.
00:33Monarchs also rely on milkweed.
00:35The only plant their caterpillars can feed on.
00:37However, forest habitats in Mexico and California
00:40are threatened by clear cutting for agriculture and development.
00:43Not to mention wildfires that have been exacerbated.
00:45by climate change.
00:46Meanwhile, pesticide use kills monarchs directly while herbicides
00:50kill milkweed.
00:51Drought is also killing milkweed and early monarch migrations triggered by warming
00:55temperatures.
00:55may mean that the monarchs are beginning their journey before milkweed is even available.
00:59I
01:00IUCN estimates that the native population of migratory monarchs
01:03has shrunk between 22 and 72
01:05percent in the past 10 years.
01:07The western population of these butterflies has shrunk by 90
01:1099.9 percent from a population of 10 million in the 1980s to less than 2
01:152000 today.
01:16In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that adding the monarchs
01:20owner to the U.S. Endangered Species List was, quote,
01:23Warranted but precluded.
01:25Meaning,
01:25that the butterfly met criteria for listing under the Endangered Species Act, but
01:29that the FWS did
01:30not at the time have enough resources to prioritize the listing due to other, more
01:34pressing listings
01:35needs.
01:36Anna Walker, a member of IUCN's Butterfly and Moth Specialist Group,
01:40and a Species Survival Officer at the New Mexico Biopark Society, said in a statement,
01:45it is difficult to watch monarch butterflies and their extraordinary migration
01:48teeter on the edge of collapse.
01:50But there are signs of hope.
01:52So many people and organizations have come together to try and protect
01:55this butterfly in its habitats.
01:56From planting native milkweed and reducing pesticide use,
02:00to supporting the protection of overwintering sites and contributing to community science.
02:05We all have a role to play in making sure this iconic insect makes a full recovery.
02:10anna resource
02:14fighter
02:20word
02:22skill
02:24Ladu
02:27blood
02:28p
02:30power
02:32music
02:34boiling
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