Monarch Conservation Perspectives A View from Mexico By Jordi Honey-Rosés Jordi Honey-Rosés September, 2003 First time visitors to the Monarch butterfly colonies in Mexico always have a similar look of excitement in their eyes. Most are prepared with all the basics: Backpack, camera, hat, hiking boots, water bottle, Spanish-English dictionary. Not even the long plane ride, or chaotic taxi through Mexico City, and dizzying bus ride up the Transvolcanic mountain range has dampened their enthusiasm. The Monarch Butterfly aficionados can’t wait to get their first glimpse of one of the world’s most spectacular natural phenomenon. The amazing biological questions abound. Is this really the destination of the migrating monarchs butterflies that pass through our backyards each Fall? How does the fragile insect know that these mountains are their final resting spot? How can they survive the journey, and why? What can explain it? The peaceful experience of visiting an overwintering Monarch Butterfly colony rarely fails to meet their high expectations. However the visit to the overwintering sites frequently stirs up many social questions in addition to the fascinating biological questions that brought the visitor here in the first place. The poverty and deforestation are imposing and hard to ignore. The inquiries I receive from first time visitors are all very similar. “What is driving the deforestation? Why does the logging continue? Is the migration in peril?” A visit to the colonies seems to rob them of their unbounded excitement and optimism; converting the tourist into conservationist and awaking their social consciousness. While all of these questions are very good, the answers frequently are not. Yes, there is the simple story that attributes deforestation to the poor rural farmer that needs the timber income and wood resource for survival. Such a story might read: “Meet Jose Cruz, poor Mexican farmer who struggles just to feed his family. Every week he removes one burro’s load of wood from the sacred Monarch Butterfly forest in his struggle to survive the hardships of rural Mexico. Does his surivival endager the survival of the Monarch butterfy?...” But how accurate is this picture connecting local poverty with deforestation? Perhaps the situation is really much more complex, without any simple or singular answer. And no matter what explanation given, rarely are they completely satisfactory. At least for me personally, and after almost two years of living in Mexico, most answers still leave me wondering. It might be the lack of answers from the Mexican Monarch Conservation community that is most unsettling. Aside than the cries of poverty, it is hard to hear a consistent message from Mexico that explains thoroughly the tough issues surrounding Monarch butterfly conservation. Granted that language barriers and time constraints often thwart a comprehensive dialogue. Still, the silence from the Mexican side of Monarch Butterfly conservation is in complete contrast to the phenomenal education, research and communication projects in the United States such as Journey North and Monarch Watch. This contrast might also lead one believe that little is being done on the Mexican side of the border, which is also far from true. While the conservation challenges in Mexico are great, so are the efforts to turn the tide through community work with the local people. The tremendous effort behind Monarch butterfly conservation in Mexico can hardly be appreciated by a quick visit to the colonies. Relying on what is seen on the surface would do a great injustice to those who struggle daily to protect the forest of the Monarch Butterfly. Fortunately an open and fluid discussion among Monarch butterfly conservationists will help us find more complete answers to those questions that inevitably arise when one visits the Monarch colonies. Discussion can lead us to solutions. Especially those discussions that bridge the famed Mexican farmer with the enthusiastic tourist visiting Mexico for the first time. About the Author About Conservation Perspectives   Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form