[Pollinator] Monarch count results -- Western monarch population still at critical level

[Matthew Shepherd]

Hi everyone,



The results from this season's  Xerces’ Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count
are out! Sadly, fewer than 30,000 monarchs were counted—29,418 to be exact
<https://www.westernmonarchcount.org/data/>—for the second year in a row,
so the western monarch population remains at a critical level. You can read
more in our press release
<https://xerces.org/press/western-monarch-butterfly-population-still-at-critical-level>
and a blog article
<https://xerces.org/blog/western-monarchs-need-our-help-more-than-ever>
about the population count for this winter (if those links don’t work,
there are URLs below).



Thank you to our incredible regional coordinators and volunteers who make
the Thanksgiving count possible!



The questions we are asked are “why?” and “what can I do?”



*Why are there so few monarchs? *

For decades, monarchs in the West have been in decline because of loss of
habitat, including destruction of their California overwintering sites and
loss of both milkweed for caterpillars and flowering resources to fuel
migration. They are also impacted by climate change and pesticide use.



*What can we do?*

Protect and manage overwintering sites; grow nectar plants and, if you’re
in the right places, native milkweed; don’t use pesticides. You can read
more about what you can do at savewesternmonarchs.org
<https://xerces.org/western-monarch-call-to-action>.



Read our *press release* about the results here:
https://xerces.org/press/western-monarch-butterfly-population-still-at-critical-level



Read more about this year’s count in our *blog* here:
https://xerces.org/blog/western-monarchs-need-our-help-more-than-ever



The *site-by-site count data* is available at
https://www.westernmonarchcount.org/data/. This covers all years since the
first count in 1997, with the data from this winter in the last right hand
column.



Some of you may have already seen this news in the media, since it was
picked up by AP and other outlets. Here are a few samples of media today:

Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/22/monarch-butterfly-population-decline-california-coast

Hindustan Times (India),
https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/california-s-monarch-butterflies-critically-low-for-second-year-in-a-row/story-jqeRdByyC3Yg1KdAZmAR4M.html

Daily Sun (Bangladesh),
https://www.daily-sun.com/post/456447/Californias-monarch-butterflies-critically-low-for-2nd-year

Japan Times (Japan),
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/23/world/science-health-world/monarch-butterflies-california/

Seattle Times,
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/californias-monarch-butterflies-critically-low-for-2nd-year/

Houston Chronicle,
https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/California-s-monarch-butterflies-critically-low-14996745.php



Matthew





----------

Matthew Shepherd

Director of Communications & Outreach

*he/him/his*



[image: Email-Outlook_Xerces-logo-CMYK]



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