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

On 9 February 2021, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1290/documents/ and reports the following progress:

• To mitigate the impacts of illegal logging, surveillance measures have been implemented with the support of field patrols. However, in 2020, surveillance activities decreased due to global COVID-19 pandemic. The area of newly degraded forest areas in the 2019-2020 period has quadrupled compared to 2018-2019, increasing from 0.43 ha to 13.36 ha with illegal logging noted as the main reason;
• Forest restoration programmes have been continued in the previously degraded areas of the property;
• Commercial avocado production in the broader region and associated deforestation and significant water consumption are reported to affect parts of the buffer zone of the property;
• In 2020, the Comprehensive Fire Management Plan for the property was completed;
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies throughout the region's protected areas have been implemented through the “Climate Change Adaptation Program” (PACC);
• The 2020 population target issued by the Trinational Working Group for Monarch butterflies corresponding to the number of individuals occupying 6 ha of overwintering habitat in Mexico was achieved in 2018/19, but fell below the threshold the following season. Activities under the trinational framework include habitat conservation, establishing research and monitoring priorities, and educational programmes;
• No updated information is provided regarding the proposed mining project within the buffer zone of the property. The State Party refers to the previously reported technical evaluation, which prevented the project from proceeding, but discussions to reopen the mine continue;
• The process of updating the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve Management Programme has begun (a draft updated Management Programme has been developed) and will continue through public consultation of the document;
• During the 2018/19 season, 14 colonies of Monarch butterflies were registered, occupying 6.05 ha, with 8 colonies (4.98 ha) within the property. This represents the largest area occupied by overwintering butterflies since 2006/07. However, in the 2019/20 season, 11 colonies were registered, occupying a total area of 2.83 ha; 5 colonies were located within the property (2.46 ha). This occupation represents a 53.22% decrease compared to the area in the 2018/19 season, albeit from a high occupancy level.

The World Heritage Centre also notes with concern the reports from early 2020 regarding the violent death of several conservationists actively involved in the protection of the property (see http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2080/ and http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2082/).

On 14 October 2020, a letter (CLT/WHC/LAC/CMT/LS2999) was sent to the State Party requesting official information on reported continuous illegal logging activities within the property.

The measures taken to continue implementation of the recommendations of the 2018 IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission are welcomed, in particular, forest restoration measures, and programmes fostering involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation activities, and provide benefits from them. However, it is of utmost concern that illegal logging and forest degradation have increased sharply, as evident from the fact that the area degraded by illegal logging activities in the 2019-2020 period has quadrupled in the same reporting period in 2018-2019. The increasing logging pressure has also been documented in several media reports. The death of several local conservationists, allegedly linked to work to protect the property and fight illegal logging, is highly concerning and it is recommended that the Committee express its condolences to their families. Noting that surveillance of illegal logging has been further curtailed due to limitations imposed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is recommended that the State Party be urged to take the urgent measures to significantly increase surveillance measures as soon as possible in order to halt the illegal logging in the property.

Of further concern are newly emerging threats, such as the expansion of commercial avocado plantations in the vicinity, including within some areas in the buffer zone of the property. While the threat to the property is reported to be low at the moment, this issue will require further monitoring and assessment of all possible impacts. 

It is regrettable that no updated information is provided regarding the mining project previously proposed in the buffer zone of the property (Angangueo project). Noting that the project remains de facto prohibited, due to the previously reported evaluation undertaken by CONANP and SEMARNAT, which prohibited land use changes and therefore prevented the project from proceeding, the situation remains unchanged. It is recommended that the Committee urge again the State Party to implement the recommendations of the mission regarding mining, namely by clearly defining the property as a No-go area for any mineral exploration and extraction, and developing strict regulations for any mining activities within its buffer zone, in order to avoid any negative impacts on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

As the OUV of the property is contingent upon the conservation of the Monarch butterfly throughout its entire migratory range, the trinational cooperation between the States Parties of Canada, Mexico and the United States of America through habitat conservation, research and monitoring, and education is welcomed. In this regard, the joint efforts and commitments reported in the National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly 2018-2024 are welcomed. It is recommended the States Parties be requested to continue and build upon these measures, with a particular focus on conserving and restoring native milkweed species in the United States of America in order to sustain population targets for the species in the long term, and ensure the conservation of the property’s OUV in doing so.

The implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies throughout the region’s protected areas, including the property, through the PACC and the formation of the Comprehensive Fire Management Plan is encouraging. However, noting that numerous colonies consistently establish themselves outside the property, and given their susceptibility to climate change and potential associated changes in the distribution of overwintering colonies, the State Party should be encouraged again to consider developing a proposal for an extension of the property to ensure that areas consistently occupied by overwintering colonies are appropriately protected and to increase the potential of the property to effectively conserve its OUV under changing climatic conditions.