Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
Due to dwindling numbers, scientists have added the beloved Monarch Butterfly to the endangered species.
Conservation groups are sounding the alarm about the possibility of these orange and black insects being gone for good and scientists warn the Earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction event driven by human activity.
Contributing factors include logging and deforestation that have destroyed the butterflies’ winter shelter in Mexico and California. Pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture also have killed butterflies and the milkweed plants that the larvae feed on. High temperatures fueled by climate change have also triggered earlier migrations before milkweed is available.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species now has more than 40,000 species that are threatened with extinction on its list.
“Today’s Red List update highlights the fragility of nature’s wonders,” IUCN Director General Bruno Oberle said in a statement. “To preserve the rich diversity of nature we need effective, fairly governed protected and conserved areas, alongside decisive action to tackle climate change and restore ecosystems.”
Known for its annual migration across North America, including the Ellwood Preserve in Goleta, the monarch population has declined between 22% and 72% over the past decade, scientists said. The western population is at the greatest risk of extinction, declining by 99.9% from an estimated 10 million butterflies to just 1,914 butterflies between the 1980s and 2021. The larger eastern population declined by 84% from 1996 to 2014.
The larger concern in the scientific community is whether enough monarch butterflies will survive in order to maintain the population and avoid extinction.
Conservationists are urging people and organizations to help protect the species, from planting milkweed to reducing pesticide use.
Every time we loose a species, a serious risk to human health occurs. It is a flashing warning sign that the vital Natural System that supports life is breaking down. Human activity is the cause, however, by “balancing” C02 outputs with Natures ability to absorb CO2 we reduce the negative impacts. Right now C02 emission levels surpass what Nature can manage. We must drastically reduce emissions in order to achieve a balance. It is not only CO2 but all pollution which is causing climate change resulting in increased disease outbreaks and pandemics, droughts, fires, floods, food insecurity, inflation, loss of natural resources and national security.