Mexico vows to protect butterfly

[Judi Lynn]

Mexico vows to protect butterfly
MEXICO CITY
26-Feb-07

MEXICO will enforce a "zero tolerance" policy against logging that threatens to wipe out the monarch butterfly and will act to stop a rare and ancient oasis from drying up, President Felipe Calderon said.

Calderon said soldiers will be deployed to clamp down on illegal logging in a protected forest where monarch butterflies winter after migrating thousands of miles from Canada and the United States.

"We will work intensively to establish a zero tolerance policy to illegal logging in the monarch zone," he said at the launch of a five-year conservation plan.

He said 10 million trees would be planted in the butterfly reserve, part of a goal to plant 250 million trees across Mexico in 2007.

Calderon said soldiers and federal police would patrol the zone looking for loggers, while the number of personnel in the zone and in other wildlife sanctuaries would increase by 15 per cent.
(snip/...)

http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/details.php?shape_ID=21949

[oldtimecanuk]

1. Why doesn't Mexico protect their citizens instead of worrying about..

a butterfly? That country needs to change with respect to pay, citizens rights, etc... If it weren't for there right wing Government, the US would not be having problems with illegal border crossings etc.

ww

[OneBlueSky]

2. no reason they can't do both . . . n/t

.

[yellowcanine]

6. Exactly. That is what is known as a "false choice". In fact, many cases of "protect the

environment" vs "economic development" are false choices. Protecting the environment usually means the health of people is better as well and it takes healthy people to have sustainable economic development.

[kestrel91316]

4. Yeah. Especially since those butterflies are just useless eaters,

and don't produce a profit for any corporations through their existence.

[tabatha]

3. these youngsters are learning why....

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/ConservationValuesBrowerQA.html

[azurnoir]

5. Our house is on one of their paths

In early September our yard, street and alley is home to thousands of Monarchies for a couple days. it is incredibly beautiful, For the last year or two there have been far fewer though, hope this get passed.

[AnneD]

7. I grew up ir Fort Worth Texas

and I didn't need a calendar to know it was October. The clear blue Texas skies were filled with tens of thousands of Monarchs. In some of the fields near the wooded areas-you could stand, arms outstretched, and butterflies would perch on you. If you could be still long enough, you'd be covered with them. We use to dab honey or sugar water and really get covered. In fact, I think that is where mom got the idea for butterfly kisses (this was in 1964-way before the song).