Abstract
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in central Mexico was established in 2000 to protect monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) overwintering colonies and contribute to the conservation of the monarch migratory phenomenon. Since it was decreed, the MBBR has faced deforestation pressures (forest cover loss) due to illegal logging and climatic factors. Here we report deforestation trends from 2012 to 2018 in the core zones of the MBBR where most monarch overwintering colonies perch. We used aerial ortho-photographs and satellite images complemented with field validation for temporal comparisons. During this period, 163.44 ha of forest cover were affected; 125.44 ha due to natural factors (rain and wind), 25.86 ha due to large-scale illegal logging, and 12.14 ha due to small-scale illegal logging. The core zone of the MBBR located in the State of Michoacan showed the highest deforestation values with 94.07 ha lost due to climatic factors, and 32.63 ha lost due to large-scale illegal logging. Over all illegal logging significantly decreased in the core zones of the MBBR due to an effective shared conservation effort including local communities, NGOs, academic institutions, governmental agencies, and philanthropists. Our study also showed a significant decrease of approximately 98% in large-scale illegal logging in the core zones of the MBBR compared to previous years from 2001 to 2012 (Vidal et al., 2013). Deforestation due to climatic factors remained similar (120 to 130 ha) between both studies. The decrease of deforestation during the period studied suggests that factors elsewhere rather than deforestation in the monarch butterfly’s winter habitat have strongly contributed to the dramatic population declines observed in recent years of monarch overwintering colonies since 2010.
Highlights
Protected areas are a cornerstone for conserving biodiversity worldwide (Margules and Sarkar, 2007)
Our goals were to (1) compare recent forest cover loss due to climate-related factors, and large-scale and small-scale illegal logging between years, and (2) analyze long-term forest cover losses in the core zones of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) by comparing a previous study (2001–2012, Vidal et al, 2013) with our study (2012–2018)
Forest cover loss due to climate-related factors peaked at 81.75 ha between 2015 and 2017 in our study; in March 2016, strong winds and rains produced a peak in treefall (55.21 ha) in the core zones of the MBBR (Table 1, Figure 3)
Summary
Protected areas are a cornerstone for conserving biodiversity worldwide (Margules and Sarkar, 2007). Other protected areas have been decreed in areas that are biodiversity hotspots thereby contributing to their conservation (Room et al, 2000; Saura et al, 2018). Protected areas are important for human well-being when they provide many environmental services, serve as areas of resilience to ameliorate negative impacts of climate change and other global change factors, and serve as refugia for the cultural heritage of Forest Cover Loss in MBBR local communities (Carey and Stolton, 2000; Hockings, 2003). Forest cover loss and fragmentation of habitats, illegal hunting, extraction of species, and overexploitation of their natural resources threaten the viability of protected areas worldwide (Hockings, 2003; Miranda et al, 2016). An increasing awareness of the importance of conservation and surveillance of protected areas has been recognized in many countries, and supported by national and international agencies, NGOs and academic institutions (Sánchez-Cordero et al, 2009; Saura et al, 2018)
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