Quotes from a letter written by Dr. Paul Opler for the Monarch Watch 2000 Event in Central Park emphasizes the need for more awareness about the Monarchs and the problems they face:
I think at this time it is extremely valuable that as many of us as possible are aware of the Monarch butterfly and its wonderful migration and biological adaptations. It is also important that we be aware of the problems faced by this species on its overwintering sites in central Mexico. It behooves us to give as much assistance to efforts in Mexico as we can from the United States.I also want to draw attention to the fact that Monarch conservation is a two-way street. Doing as much to maintain and enhance Monarch populations in the United States is also critical in part to show our country's support for the species and its conservation. Enhancing populations of the Monarch's milkweed caterpillar plants in Central Park is an excellent example of the steps we can take to show that we care.
In her speech given at Central Park for this same event, Monica Missrie, World Wildlife Fund Mexico, emphatically states:
Basically our efforts have concentrated in protecting and restoring the forests where the monarchs overwintering which have been logged extensively and are severely degraded.Many attempts have been made to reverse this situation. The most important one was in 1986, when a Presidential Decree created the Monarch Butterfly Special Biosphere Reserve. However, studies show that between 1984 and 1999, 44% of high quality forest inside the reserve has been degraded.
Over the past two years we have collaborated with several scientists and institutions to study resource use problems, deforestation patterns and possible solutions in order to revise the 1986 decree. This led to a proposal for new reserve boundaries , based on an extensive study of monarch ecology, watershed and forest conservation, as well as critical land tenure and social issues.
The new reserve was officially announced on September 7 and the authorities are now in the process of negotiating it with the local landowners.
You can find the entire text of these noted speakers at the Mastervision web site. Also on this site are some excellent photos and information about tagging monarchs, the metamorphosis of monarchs, and some outstanding photos of swarms of monarchs in the Oyamel Fir forests in Mexico.
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