The number of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico annually continues to decline, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The insects flutter down from Canada every winter, finding a temporary home in forests straddling the states of Mexico and Michoacán. They have become a major tourist attraction.
Roads have been constructed to improve access, but these roads also are used by loggers who illegally cut down trees. According to some reports, the woodlands have been diminished by 62 percent. The Wildlife Fund, however, notes that climate changes also account for the smaller number of butterflies that arrive.
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Jimm Budd
Reporting from Mexico City
member of the Society of American Travel Writers
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