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.
2023
As part of his assisted migration research, Dr. Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero included a pilot drone flight over the Federal Government property inside the Core Zone of the MBBR. Using a combination of visual (RGB-Red, Green, Blue) and multispectral cameras, his PhD tudent José Luis Gallardo-Salazar, estimated the vigor of the trees and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for each tree. The diagnostic helped identify the standing dead trees (2 %), the extremely stressed trees (brownish foliage, 5 %), the apparently stressed trees (green-yellowish foliage, 44 %) and the healthy trees (49 %).This is especially concerning since the flight was done in October 2022, at the end of the rainy season. MBF is pleased to support this necessary research to improve conservation efforts in the face of climate change