14 DAY TRIAL // According to several studies carried out by wildlife researchers, North America's population of monarch butterflies has been steadily decreasing over the past 15 years.
A new survey whose findings were published in the journal Conservation Letters shows that folks in the United States are not only very much preoccupied about the fate of these insects, but also ready and willing to get behind efforts to protect them.
Thus, Mongabay informs that, of the people surveyed as part of this investigation, almost 75% said that they would support green-oriented campaigns intended to safeguard this species.
What's more, it was discovered that, all in all, United States citizens would spend somewhere between $4.78 billion to $6.64 billion (€3.47 million to €4.82 million) on saving monarch butterflies from falling off the biodiversity map.
This money would serve either to fund conservation projects, or to plant monarch-friendly nectar or milkweed plants that this species needs in order to survive and thrive.
Wildlife researchers explain that, each year, monarch butterflies migrate from northern regions like Nove Scotia to forests in Mexico. This migration covers 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) and takes four generations.
It is estimated that, back in the 2013-2014 winter season, the monarch butterflies that did make it all the way to forests in Mexico covered an area of just 0.67 hectares. When compared to the previous year, this represents a decline of 44%.
Specialists say that, all things considered, this drop in North America's monarch butterflies population is chiefly due to the loss of milkweed, i.e. a plant that these insects feed on and which they need in order to survive.
“In the U.S., the growing use of genetically-modified, herbicide-tolerant crops, such as corn and soybeans, has resulted in a severe decline in milkweed, and thus a loss of breeding habitat,” explains biologist Karen Oberhauser.