Go Mexico! Grist announced this very exciting news about the fate of monarch butterflies today:
Winging It Mexico boosts funding for butterfly protection
Millions of butterflies clapped their tiny wings as Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced a plan Sunday to curb logging and protect habitat for migrating monarchs. Mexico has already boosted anti-logging efforts, resulting in a 48 percent drop in illegal tree-chopping in the last year. Calderon hopes that additional funding to be put toward the existing Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve will boost tourism. "It is possible to take care of the environment and at the same time promote development," he said. Ooh, we're all a-flutter.
And just because it's perfect weather for listening to the Shins (cold and wet November dawns with no barking sparrows), here is a video that features those cuties with lots of monarch butterflies in Mexico:
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posted by defendusa : December 4, 2007 at 2:36 PM
As a long term follower of this issue, I can say with confidence that every new Mexican president promises to do something about the butterflies but none of them can seem to stop the logging.
Why?
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posted by Anonymous : December 4, 2007 at 5:00 PM
Mexico is also third in the world in recycling, according to a recent news report, but only out of necessity. We don't have many trees here in Mexico and have to import pulp, paper and Christmas trees. And yet the trees that are planted don't get a chance because they are logged for profit.
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posted by 1st Mate : December 4, 2007 at 8:38 PM
I hate illegal tree-choppers! (hey that can make an awesome bumper sticker)
Let's hope they do what they say they want to do. In the meantime, what you can do, is plant milkweed. The larvae only eat plants from this genus (Asclepias). Sprawl is wiping the wild milkweeds out. Next spring, they will fly north to find there are fewer places to lay eggs. This means fewer monarchs to protect in Mexico with every passing year. Plant milkweed. Plant milkweed. Google it. Plant it.
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posted by Anonymous : December 8, 2007 at 9:22 PM
thanks for the tip!
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posted by Sarah Krasley : December 10, 2007 at 5:51 PM
: December 4, 2007 at 5:00 PM
