Daily News Analysis » Monarch Butterflies

Monarch Butterflies

Why in the News?

The Migratory monarch butterfly has been classified ‘endangered’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Key Points:

About Monarch Butterflies

  • Monarch butterflies are native to North and South America.
  • Famous for their seasonal migration, these migrate from the United States and Canada south to California and Mexico for the winter.

What threats do they face?

  • Habitat destruction
  • Climate change
  • Deforestation

Significance:

  • Monarchs, are important pollinators and provide various ecosystem services such as maintaining the global food web

IUCN

  • Created in 1948, it is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations.
  • IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
  • Its experts are organised into six Commissions dedicated to
    • Species survival
    • Environmental law
    • Protected areas
    • Social and economic policy
    • Ecosystem management
    • Education and communication

News Source: Down to Earth