FloridaMuseum.(October 29, 2019) A kaleidoscope of monarchs: Marveling at one of nature’s greatest journeys. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from, https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/marveling-at-monarchs/

 

When industries that once supported entire towns and communities go away, the local population is often left without and other means of income and the whole area delves into poverty. Ecotourism, however, has managed to assuage these negative impacts in many different areas, namely of which, towns along the migration path of the Monarch Butterfly. This article combines the first-hand experience of the author while within a monarch sanctuary (they describe it as a quasi-religious one) along with facts about dwindling monarch populations along with explanations. Florida has seen an 80% decline in the Monarch population in recent years, and the situation is not much better in California or Mexico. This serious decline in population does not spell out well for many of the ecotourism businesses who have based their livelihood off of the Monarch butterfly. It is for this reason that all most all of these businesses have invested heavily in the recovery and growth of the Monarchs

 

This article covers many different important facets of ecotourism namely, the ways in which the community is impacted, and the impact on the environment itself. To quite a few people in California, Florida, and near the Mexican border, the Monarch Butterfly is not just an insect but rather what puts food on their table. I like this article because it also delves into what it actually feels like to be surrounded by these insects, as well as gives a diverse explanation for why their species is in decline. I feel, however, that the author should have included more information about ecotourism’s impact on the local communities and people, rather than just saying that there is one. By doing so, the author leaves out a key human aspect of this story.