Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve

• Illegal activities - Illegal logging
• Land conversion - Agricultural encroachment
• Forest fires (issue resolved)
• Decline in the overwintering population of Monarch butterflies in the property 
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation (tourism pressures associated with growth in visitor numbers and heavy concentration in specific areas)
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure
• Mining in the buffer zone

N/A

On 26 December 2022, the State Party submitted a comprehensive state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1290/documents/ and reports the following progress:

• The programme to address illegal logging within the property involving local and national security agencies has continued. Although some equipment involved in illegal logging has been seized, 14 hectares (ha) of the property were affected by illegal logging according to the most recent monitoring data reported;
• Growing demand for commercial avocado production has led to increased forest clearing in the buffer zone and in the vicinity of the property, from 2.03 ha in 2004 to 9.62 ha in 2020, resulting also in an increase in water consumption. The State Party reports the activities to have not impacted the property to date; however, this activity is reported as “a potential threat”;
• Forest restoration programmes, including reforestation maintenance actions, rehabilitation of firebreaks and fuel managementhave continued in the degraded areas of the property and buffer zone with the participation of local communities;
• Trained and equipped firefighting and community brigades are in place in the property to limit the impacts caused by forest fires. However, in 2021 and 2022, 68 forest fires affected approximately 842.82 ha of forest;
• The process to update the existing “Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve Management Program” is underway and due to be completed in 2023;
• There is currently no mining project authorized in the property or its buffer zone despite the Grupo Industrial Minera México, S.A. (IMMSA), initiating steps to reactivate operations;
• In 2021 and 2022, over 10,000 sightings of Monarch Butterfly and milkweed plants were documented through the collaborative Monarch Blitz initiative, led by civil society from Canada, the United States and Mexico;
• During the 2021-2022 season, ten colonies of Monarch Butterfly, covering 2.17 ha, were recorded within the property, and six recorded outside the property covering an area of 0.66 ha, representing an increase of 35% compared with the area occupied in 2020-2021;
• The National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly in Mexico 2018-2024 identified priority actions in six major strategic lines and 147 actions that require the participation of multiple actors for their implementation;
• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, measures were put in place to ensure the protection of the property in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. However, economic impacts to local communities, combined with lower management capacity, both resulting from the pandemic, have resulted in increased illegal logging activities.

On 18 May 2022, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party of the United States of America (USA) conveying third party concerns regarding the conservation of Monarch Butterflies in the USA, in particular regarding pesticide use and loss of habitat.

On 9 June 2022, the State Party of the USA replied to share the concern that despite positive trends in populations, targets for population viability were not being achieved. The letter also highlighted the ongoing efforts to conserve the species in the USA, as well as international cooperation through the Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management and the Trinational Monarch Conservation Science Partnership.

The measures taken to maintain the ecological integrity of the property, including monitoring of the forest cover, surveillance, and restoration of degraded areas with the involvement of security agencies and local communities have attained some tangible results and are appreciated. However, it is of concern that threats continue to increase, including illegal logging, bushfires, and forest clearing. This resulted in the migratory Monarch Butterfly to be recently entered into the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered.

The rapid expansion of avocado production within the buffer zone of the property is concerning, given its potential threats to the forest cover of the property. In view of the continuously increasing and persistent threats to the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), the State Party should be requested to further strengthen its on-going efforts to implement the recommendations of the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission. In particular, it is crucial to put in place long term inter-institutional actions to detect and prevent illegal logging activities within the property; expand reforestation in areas of the property impacted by illegal logging and take additional surveillance measures to halt the deforestation as a result of the expansion of avocado production in the buffer zone and reclaim and restore the affected areas. Efforts should also include programmes supporting involvement of local and indigenous communities in conservation activities as well as providing alternative income for these communities.

The confirmation that no mining project has been authorized within the property or the buffer zone despite several attempts by private investors is welcomed. Recalling previous requests of the Committee, and the recommendation of the 2018 mission, the State Party should be requested again to officially declare the property as a no-go area for mineral exploration and extraction and develop strict regulations for any mining activities within the property’s buffer zone to avoid any potential negative impacts to the property’s OUV. Furthermore, any potential mining activity being considered which may have potential impacts on the OUV of the property should be assessed in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context prior to any decision being taken that would be difficult to reverse.

The planned finalization of the “Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve Management Program” in 2023 and continued implementation of the National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly 2018-2024 in synergy with civil society organizations, scientists and volunteers along the migration corridor of the Monarch Butterfly are positive and should be continued. Noting the concerns raised by third parties regarding the conservation of the species throughout its range outside the property, the States Parties of Canada, Mexico and the USA should be encouraged to strengthen their actions to conserve the species, in particular through relevant national-level protective legislation (i.e., U.S. Endangered Species Act) and minimizing the loss and restoring milkweed habitat, as well as through trilateral collaboration to ensure effective conservation for the Monarch Butterfly across its entire migratory range. Moreover, information on the actions taken by the States Parties of Canada and the USA in protecting the species should be shared between the three States Parties, where possible, and the State Party of Mexico should be requested by the Committee to report any shared information it receives relating to the conservation of the butterflies across their range in the USA and Canada.

The consistent occurrence of overwintering colonies outside the property emphasizes again the previously highlighted importance of strengthening the protection of the species not only within but also outside the property, including in the context of climate change. The State Party should therefore be again strongly encouraged to develop a proposal for an extension of the property to ensure that areas consistently occupied by overwintering colonies are appropriately protected, in particular in the context of a changing climate, and also be requested to provide an update on the progress of submitting a boundary modification in the next report.

Adaptive measures put in place to ensure the continued protection of the property during the COVID-19 outbreak are commendable and the State Party should be encouraged to improve management capacity to meet the current challenges in safeguarding the OUV of the property, in particular those that have arisen due to the impacts of the pandemic on illegal logging.