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Only a butterfly?
Only a butterfly?
We need to think carefully about whole groups of animals that we tend to dismiss as either useless or as pests.
Butterflies and bees, like many other types of insects, play a crucial role in pollinating plants. When plants are not pollinated, they do not reproduce. In short, if we eliminate or greatly reduce the numbers of these pollinating insects, birds and bats, our planet's plant life will soon come to an end.
The orange and black monarch butterfly is one such example. Its multi-generational, 3,000-mile migration from Canada to Mexico and back has long served as a symbol of the beauty and mystery of nature.
But the very migration that still puzzles researchers could soon become a thing of the past. Monarch populations are declining at an alarming rate, thanks to a deadly combination of factors that includes Illegal logging in Mexico, wildfires, droughts, and a drastic loss of their crucial milkweed habitat in the United States.
The outlook is so grim for monarchs that the U.S. government is getting involved in a major effort to save them. Last winter marked the lowest monarch count ever recorded at a time when other pollinators such as honeybees, native bees, birds, and bats—vital to U.S. agriculture and therefore the nation's economy—also are facing serious decline.
"This year we saw a catastrophic drop" in population, says Lincoln Brower, a biologist. Brower, who has studied monarchs for 60 years, says "we could lose the migration and overwintering phenomena, which are unique and spectacular behaviors."
At its high in the winter of 1996-1997, there were a billion monarchs. Today, there are only about 35 million, according to a petition filed in August by scientists from several environmental organizations asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to classify the monarch as "threatened" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The classification provides various protections including the authority for the agency to purchase habitat, and prohibitions on killing or injuring an animal or destroying its habitat without a permit.
There are now signs of hope that the Monarch butterfly population in North America will recover, and we can only hope it does. Meanwhile, it's a stern warning to the rest of the world to pay attention to insect and animal species that we might otherwise deem irrelevant. Butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others are critical parts of our ecosystem!
If the ecology of our planet matters to you, do consider eating more meatless meals – much habitat destruction occurs to clear grazing land for livestock. Eating plant-based meals needn't be a hardship. You can find dozens of delicious options at http://KindMeal.my/
Source: http://goo.gl/TVfnpB
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