For Immediate Release, March 6 2025
Media contacts:
Emma Pelton, Western Monarch Lead, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, 503-212-0706, [email protected]
Scott Hoffman Black, Director, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, 503-449-3792, [email protected]
MEXICO CITY, March 6, 2025 – The number of monarchs overwintering in central Mexico increased from last year’s low, according to the annual census released today by World Wildlife Fund-Mexico and partners. The butterflies were found covering an area of 4.42 acres, which means the eastern monarch population that migrates between Canada and Mexico each year shows an improvement from last year, which was the second worst year ever recorded at 2.22 acres. The annual survey measures the area of forest in which monarch butterflies hibernate each winter, providing a reliable indicator of the eastern monarch’s population status.
“We recognize the key role of local communities, as well as the support of the government of Mexico in conserving the forest and providing this iconic species with the opportunity to thrive,” said Jorge Rickards, director general of WWF Mexico. "It’s now time to turn this year’s increase into a lasting trend with an all-hands approach where governments, landowners, conservationists, and citizens continue to safeguard critical habitats along the monarch’s North American migratory route.”
“While an increase is great news, the numbers in Mexico are still well below historic norms,” said Scott Black, director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “With the western monarch population that overwinters in California also in decline, we urgently need better protections for this beloved butterfly.”
In January, the Xerces Society’s Western Monarch Count counted just over 9,000 monarchs overwintering in tree groves in coastal California, the second lowest number ever recorded and well below the millions of butterflies observed in the 1980s that scientists consider a stable population.
“If we want these butterflies to recover, they need more habitat restoration and better protection from pesticides. They were proposed to be listed as threatened under the ESA last December, and this listing urgently needs to be finalized,” said Emma Pelton, the western monarch lead for the Xerces Society.
Despite ongoing efforts to preserve their migration, monarchs across North America face significant challenges, including habitat destruction, pesticide exposure, and extreme weather exacerbated by climate change. Some population fluctuation is normal, but the overall trend continues to be far below historic norms in both the eastern and western migratory populations.
And monarchs are not the only butterfly species that need conservation attention. Xerces staff contributed to a new study published today in Science which found that populations of butterflies across the United States are declining. In addition to dramatic declines for individual species, the study concluded that total abundance of butterflies has declined by 22% from 2000 to 2020. That means that for every five butterflies seen 20 years ago, now there are only four.
The Xerces Society is part of a tri-national delegation working to protect monarch butterflies throughout their migratory range through Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Xerces Society staff collaborate with farmers, ranchers, land managers, park managers, gardeners, corporations and others to plant milkweeds and nectar plants that can support breeding and migrating monarchs. The butterflies also need improved protection from pesticides, which are used widely in retail, home and agricultural landscapes.
What you can do:
- Support U.S. federal protections for the monarch butterfly. Sign the Xerces Society’s letter of support for the proposed listing of the monarch as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
- Participate in the tri-national International Monarch Monitoring Blitz this summer. Report monarchs any time of year, in any country to iNaturalist or another monarch community science program.
- Discover milkweed and nectar plants native to your region and plant a pollinator garden.
- Reduce your reliance on pesticides and make change in your community, nursery, home, farm, and other places in your community.
- Find additional ways to help with the Xerces Society’s monarch conservation campaign, including efforts to conserve overwintering sites in California and restore breeding habitat in key regions of the United States.
- Support the Xerces Society, a science-driven nonprofit working on solutions for monarchs and other butterflies.
For more information regarding the reports, contact: Eduardo Rendón-Salinas, Director del Programa Ecosistemas Terrestres, WWF México, [email protected], +52 (715) 1535055 y 1535466