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- I'm your anchor Chaithra Bikki and this is my co-anchor Vriti Arya.. and did you know that monarch butterflies are now endangered? Today we’ll be talking to Dr. Reddy about this new discovery.
- Welcome to another episode of "Did You Know" on CVA News!
- Hello everyone!
- Now, let’s talk to the actual specialist. So Doctor Reddy, how long has this trend of decline been seen in the butterflies?
- As of July 2022, monarch butterflies have been added to the red list of threatened species by the IUCN and became labeled as endangered, only 2 steps away from extinction.
- Monarch butterflies have been on a decline since around the 1980s. The western monarch population has plummeted by almost 99.9% from about 100 million in the 1980s to only about 2000 in 2021, and the eastern population decreased by 84% between 1996 and 2014.
- So then what future do you predict for monarch butterflies if the trends continue?
- Well, according to the data that my team collected, the decline of monarch butterflies will likely continue, but after identifying certain areas where population levels are stable, we discovered that we might be able to alter the trajectory.
- Exactly what factors contribute to the endangerment of monarch butterflies?
- There are three main reasons for monarch endangerment. First is the liberal use of pesticides, which include extremely toxic chemicals and herbicides, killing off the already-low population of milkweed plants.
- Second is urban development, logging and deforestation have led to destroyed areas of the butterflies’ habitat in Mexico and California. And lastly, climate change has had a huge effect on monarch butterflies’ ability to migrate due to their sensitivity to unstable temperature changes
- I didn’t realize butterflies were affected by climate change too. I’ve seen a lot of sites mention milkweed plants when talking about monarchs - what is it and why is it so important?
- Milkweeds are the only source of food for the monarch caterpillars, which makes them vital to their survival. Additionally, climate change has caused the milkweed plant to become scarce. Therefore, the eradication of milkweeds is one of the most significant problems we need to solve to prevent the extinction of the monarch butterfly.
- And we come to our last question, and it’s one that involves the viewers. What can we do to help the monarch butterflies?
- Well, there are several ways: One way you can help is by planting a milkweed garden. Even though it may seem small, it will contribute significantly by increasing their food supply during migration.
- Another way to preserve milkweeds and nectar plants is to stop the use of pesticides which could hurt not only the milkweeds but also the butterflies. Lastly, using less energy will lead to fewer greenhouse gasses, slowing the progress of climate change.
- Thank you so much for having me!
- As you can see, with very little effort, you can make a big difference in the preservation of monarch butterflies. We’ll see you next week on CVA News!
- Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us Dr. Reddy!
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