Monarch Butterfly Migration in Peril

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Monarch Butterfly Migration in Peril
David Ledyard-Marks davidlm_at_umich.edu Jordan
Dantzer jdantzer_at_umich.edu Andrew Bieneman
bieneman_at_umich.edu
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Monarch Butterflies

• Danaus plexippus 
• Life Stages
• Milkweed
• Egg
• Larvae
• Pupae
• Adult - lifespan depends on migration
• Multi-Regional
• Reproduction
• Mortality Rate
• Abiotic
• Biotic

http//www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.ht
m
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Migration

• Fall Migration to Monarch Buttefly Special
  Biosphere Reserve (MBSBR) on the border between
  the States of Mexico and Michoacan
• October April Overwintering
• Full Migration Cycle completed by several
  generations

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The Problem

• Monarch Butterflies exclusively migrate to the
  MBSBR
• The Indigenous Population depends on the
  resources from the MBSBR for their survival

http//www.ecology.info/images/monarch-winter-clus
ter.jpg
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Hypothesis

• Monarch Butterflies and the Indigenous Population
  surrounding the MBSBR cannot continue to
  cohabitate.

http//www.elmtreecentre.com/images/Monarch20Butt
erfly20-20cropped20for20website.jpg
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Our Solution

• Monarchs will exclusively utilize the resources
  of the MBSBR
• Genetically Engrained
• Unique Environment
• The Indigenous Population Plan
• Ecotourism
• Pharmaceutical Prospecting
• Year-long Economy

http//seanfitzgerald.com/images20framesets/monar
chs/living/source/mating_monarchs_1.htm
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Migration Part 1

• Geography
• Continental Divide
• We focus on the Monarchs East of the Rockies
• Reproductive Diapause
• Climate Changes
• No flora
• Unsuitable Temperatures
• Find sources of milkweed

http//www.butterflyencounters.com/store/products.
php
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Migration 2

• How do they get to Mexico
• Successive Generations
• Not Geography
• UV Rays (Circadian Clock)
• Magnetism
• Fuel Nectar
• Stop-over
• Lipid Depletion
• Wind Damage

http//www.pgmonarchs.org/bf.jpg
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Monarch Butterfly Special Biosphere Reserve

• Established in 1986 by a Presidential Decree
• Inaccessible Area
• 2700m and 3600m peaks with slopes of 10-30
• Homogenous Middle-Aged Oyamel Fir, Ideal Climate
  for overwintering

http//www.cipec.org/research/mexico.html
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Indigenous Population

• Extreme Poverty
• Basic Needs
• Not Conservation Minded
• Utilize MBSBR
• Farming
• Grazing
• Fuel
• Timber (non-local)

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Deforestation
1971
1984
1999
http//www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/Sanctuary
DeforestationMaps.html
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Problems

• Human, not natural protection (Problem with all
  Reserves)
• Inadequate Border Protection
• Lack of Alternative Subsistence Means
• Not Compensated for the Land
• MBSBR Ignored and Continued Use by Indigenous

http//www.cipec.org/research/mexico.html
A Yucatan Maya farmer describes land use on his
milpa
Illegal logging truck captured by community in
the Monarch Butterfly Reserve the loggers
escaped.
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The Next Step

• 1998 - Double the size of the Reserve
• 56,359 hectares
• Buy Logging Rights
• Government
• Non-Profit
• Develop Alternative Employment in Ecotourism
• Creates No Need for Border Enforcement

http//www.amerikaventure.com/images/birding/guide
_n_group.jpg
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Alternatives

• Co-habitation
• Problem with Thinning Trees
• Temperature
• Lipids
• UV Rays
• No Rain Traps
• Less Homogenous Oyamel Fir Zones
• Current Rate of Human Use above Sustainability
• Butterfly Transfer
• Parasite Evolution

http//www.tabhauser.com/tab/images/butterfly20mo
narch.JPG
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The Future

• Ecotourism
• Autonomy
• Enforce Private Property Rights
• Expand Ecotourism Clientele
• Social and Cultural Attractions for months
  without Butterfly Overwintering
• Develop Renewable Energy Source from Geothermal
  activity
• Pharmaceutical Prospecting

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Take Home Message

• The Challenge
• If monarchs became extinct tomorrow, it is
  likely that the impact on our material well-being
  would be negligible - Karen Oberhauser
• Solutions Exist