Forest degradation has decreased by 78.1% in the forests of central Mexico, where Monarch butterflies take refuge after migrating from North America to escape the harsh winter borealis.
Between May 2016 and February 2017, 15.8 hectares of forests were degraded in the area, compared to 72.3 hectares affected in 2015-2016, according to the study published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
The intense winds of a storm, a drought and illegal logging were the main threats to the pine and oyamel forests that make up the core of the 13,551 hectares of the so-called Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, located west of the state capital of Micoacán, Morelia, according to the report.
The population of the popular black and orange insect is threatened by the indiscriminate use of pesticides, the felling and the destruction of natural landscapes that affect its reproduction along the migration journey that takes place every year starting on November, in a journey from the United States and Canada all the way down to Mexico.
Source: elsoldelbajio.com.mx