Mexican Survey Shows 75% Drop In Monarch Numbers, Blames US

[hatrack]

MEXICO CITY - "The population of monarch butterflies has suffered a drastic decline, but Mexico -- where deforestation has long devastated monarch wintering grounds -- is now blaming the United States and Canada.

Mexico's Environment Department said on Wednesday that 75 percent fewer monarch butterflies appeared in 2004 compared to previous years. It blamed cold weather and intensive farming -- including of genetically modified crops -- in areas of the United States and Canada where the butterflies spend the summer and reproduce. Activists and researchers suggested Mexico may be trying to offload some of the blame, after its own highly publicized efforts to stop illegal logging ran up against often violent resistance from logging gangs.

INCOMPLETE REPORT

''This is an incomplete and tendentious report, that seeks to put all the blame on other countries which do share responsibility,'' said Homero Aridjis, whose Group of 100 environmental organization has long opposed illegal logging. ''It is clear that the migratory phenomenon of the monarch butterfly . . . is not at risk,'' the Environment Department said. ``This is a species with a great capacity for recovering from die-offs.''

The announcement, however, focused almost exclusively on events in the United States and Canada, including ''industrial agriculture that displaced breeding and feeding grounds,'' ''the use of herbicides and loss of habitat,'' and the planting of genetically modified crops not used in Mexico."

EDIT

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10930255.htm?1c

[illflem]

1. Monarch wintering grounds are a big tourist draw to Mexico

sort of doubt they would cut their own throats but you never know.

[patrice]

2. Can they spell NAFTA? n/t

[Warpy]

3. It's also frankenfood.

Grain seed that has been genetically mutilated to contain a poison that is naturally occurring (but not in pollen) is to blame. It's been killing all sorts of beneficial insects along with weevils and borers.

They'd survived herbicides and loss of habitat. They can't survive poison food.

[achtung_circus]

5. What poison is that? nt

[illflem]

6. Some feel corn genetically engineered

to contain the gene that produces BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) a widely used organic pesticide, was found spreading though pollen to milkweed, the Monarch's food of choice. Research results are mixed on this.
more here http://cosmos.ucdavis.edu/2002/FinalProjects/Cluster7/sanchez/Bacillusthuringiensis.html

[achtung_circus]

9. Thanks for the link. nt

[Massacure]

10. Isn't anthrax also in the Bacillus genus?

Same genus, different species, they are pretty closely related. How interesting.

[illflem]

11. bacillus is the genus of all rod shaped bacteria

anthrax is one of more than 100,000 identified species of bacillus

[cornermouse]

4. I'd say there's plenty of blame to go around on this one.

Mexico and the U.S. have been partners on this one.

[StClone]

7. In my Area Gypsy Moth Spraying

Has never been eliminated as toxic to butterflies. They spray the B.t. (bacteria pathogen) in infected areas with planes and I have no doubt the drift covers a large area.

Also, the last two years have been very poor reproduction weather for butterflies. All butterfly numbers are down. Pollution, decreased wild areas and weather have a strong influence on the Monarch's numbers. I live near one of the largest grasslands in the Eastern U.S. and the Monarch was scarce there in the Summer of '04.

[NickB79]

8. If they've logged the overwintering grounds so much

That the monarchs failed to survive last year to breed and return to the US in large numbers, there wouldn't be as many coming back, now would there?

They report a 75% drop over only one year's time. This alone excludes virtually every one of their claims, such as pesticide usage, use of genetically engineered crops, or changes in agricultural practices, IMO. There have been no major changes in the amount of pesticides used in the US, as far as I know. We've been farming millions of acres of genetically engineered crops in the US for a decade now, with more planted every year. If it were the GM corn, though, you would expect to see a gradual decline in the monarch numbers. Finally, while family farmers continue to get gobbled up by factory farms, again this has been a gradual decrease. The only large, high-impact factor that has happened to the monarchs in the past few years has been large-scale deforestation, as their wintering grounds are fairly small and easily wiped out in a only a few years time.