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Monarch Population in Mexico Decreases in 2023-24 Overwintering Season

On February 7, 2024, the overwintering monarch population report was released, showing a 59% decline from the previous year: 0.90 hectares compared to 2.21 hectares last year (a hectare is about 2.5 acres).

May 10, 2024

In this issue of our Spring newsletter, we highlight the overwintering monarch population report for the 2023-2024 season. 

With a 59% decline from the previous year, this is the second lowest population ever reported and this dramatic low has never occurred after a year as low as last year’s (see graph of the monarch population from 1993 to 2024). Long term drought in the south likely affected the success of the monarch’s fall migration by decreasing nectar availability. There are concerning indications that the conditions that are bad for monarchs are becoming more common due to human-induced climate change. Read more in MBF Board member Karen Oberhauser’s article describing this concerning trend and its implications.

Other MBF news covered in this issue include: 

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