[Pollinator] 2024 Monarch Butterfly Blitz Sets Records for Observations and Volunteer Efforts in North America

[Isis Howard]

Dear all,


*Please find below the results of the International Monarch Monitoring
Blitz <http://www.cec.org/international-monarch-monitoring-blitz/> Results
for Summer 2024:*


>From 26 July to 4 August 2024, the 8th annual International Monarch
Monitoring Blitz invited individuals, organizations and community
scientists from across North America to collect data on monarch butterflies
and the milkweed plants essential for their survival. This snapshot of the
monarch butterfly and its breeding locations helps scientists better
understand how to protect and conserve one of North America’s most iconic
species.


Each year, monarch butterflies migrate up to 5,000 kilometers, facing
multiple challenges along their journey, including habitat loss and impacts
from climate change. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
monarch conservation efforts play a crucial role in supporting a wide range
of species and ecosystems. Because monarch butterflies rely on natural
resources shared with many other species, they serve as natural indicators
of the overall health of the ecosystems they inhabit and pass through.

This year, volunteer participation in the Monarch Blitz broke all previous
records. Over the 10-day period of the 2024 Blitz, more than 5,000 people
across Canada, Mexico and the United States reported more than 16,000
monarch sightings and 68,000 milkweed plants. This marks a significant
increase compared to last year’s nearly 1,800 participants. Data collected
during the Blitz are published in the Trinational Monarch Knowledge Network
a repository of information that is available for anyone to consult and
download.



*Press Release Links:*



*EN: *
http://www.cec.org/media/2024-monarch-butterfly-blitz-sets-records-for-observations/

*FR: *
http://www.cec.org/fr/medias/communiques/record-dobservations-blitz-de-suivi-du-monarque-2024/

*SP: *
http://www.cec.org/es/medios/comunicados-de-prensa/blitz-monarca-2024-impone-records-de-participacion-voluntaria/



-- 

Isis Howard (she/her)
Conservation Biologist
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
503.212.0546 | isis.howard at xerces.org

xerces.org <https://www.xerces.org/>
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