As a result of pesticides and Climate Change, the endangered insect species lost approximately 59% of their entire population in Mexico within the past year. This is the second-lowest recorded population of Monarch butterflies in Mexico in history. The species population is not counted individually, but rather by the hectares they cover, this year the level reached 0.9 hectares, dropping from a prior 2.21 hectares. With the lowest level being in 2013, at 0.67 hectares. for scale the largest international football field is approximately 0.82 hectares.
“It has a lot to do with climate change,” stated Gloria Tavera, the commission’s conservation director. She cited natural phenomena such as storms, drought and higher temperatures, all induced to higher extremes by climate change.
the largest contributor by far to the species’ decline is illegal logging, which caused a 58.7 hectare loss of habitat, which is roughly equivalent to 71.5 largest international football fields, or 3 of the Rungrado North Korean Stadium.