Butterfly conservation: Mexico calls for U.S. action on herbicides after 64% habitat increase

Record ID: 2366586

  • Title: Butterfly conservation: Mexico calls for U.S. action on herbicides after 64% habitat increase
  • Date: 18th March 2026
  • Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (MARCH 17, 2026) (REUTERS) SECRETARY OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES, ALICIA BARCENA WALKING TOWARDS PODIUM AT PRESS CONFERENCE BARCENA DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SECRETARY OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES, ALICIA BARCENA: “Today we are celebrating that the 2025-2026 monarch season covered 2.93 hectares, a 64% increase from la
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Conservation efforts Herbicide Mexico Michoacan Monarch butterfly
  • Location: ANGANGUEO, MICHOACAN AND MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
  • City: ANGANGUEO, MICHOACAN AND MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Environment,South America / Central America,North America,Nature/Wildlife
  • Reuters ID: LVA001502917032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Mexico reported a 64% surge in the forest area occupied by overwintering monarch butterflies this season, with colonies covering 2.93 hectares, up from 1.79 hectares last year. Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena attributed the increase to local conservation efforts and favorable weather.
    Bárcena and environmental policy expert Pedro Álvarez Icaza both highlighted the impact of glyphosate and other herbicides in the U.S. Midwest, which have decimated milkweed—the sole food source for monarch caterpillars—along the butterfly’s migration route. “This has clearly disrupted the monarch’s migration,” said Alvarez Icaza.
    Mexico plans to raise the issue in upcoming North American trade and environmental talks, urging the U.S. to protect the butterfly’s migration corridors. “We can’t tell them to stop using pesticides, but we can ask them to protect the areas the butterflies travel through,” Barcena said.
    The monarch’s annual migration, a natural phenomenon spanning Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, has faced decades of decline due to habitat loss, climate change, and agricultural chemicals. While this year’s rebound offers hope, officials stressed that international cooperation is essential for the species’ long-term survival.
    (Production: Diego Delgado, Hugo Monnet)
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