Butterflies at Risk

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

DRASTIC DECLINE: The migratory monarch butterfly population in North America is at risk of extinction.

This past July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially classified the North American monarch butterfly as an endangered species. This population of butterflies is known for their epic annual migration, or seasonal movement, from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico.

The insect’s numbers have been dropping for decades. “The main reasons for monarch declines are habitat loss and climate change,” says Karen Oberhauser, a conservation biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She hopes that the IUCN’s new classification will bring attention to the monarch’s plight and encourage people to help protect the species from extinction.

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