Recognizing that sound science is key to effective conservation, we support scientific research, including habitat and species assessments, with direct relevance to conservation in the overwintering sites. Our research funding supports scientists studying ecology and the conservation of monarchs in Mexico.
2022
Assisted Migration
Dr. Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero, his colleagues, and graduate students continue working on their assisted migration experiments. Preliminary results of four field sites at Nevado de Toluca, State of México indicate that after a year of having been planted, oyamels (Abies religiosa) have an overall survival rate of 80.6 % (August 2022). Mortality increases significantly if the shift upwards exceeds 600 m of altitudinal difference between the seed source and the planting sites.
This research and the challenges faced by the conservation and survival of oyamels in the overwintering sites of the monarch and its assisted migration has received international recognition! Some of the recent articles on popular media published on this topic can be found on USA Today, Reader’s Digest, and National Geographic.