Rules for visiting the MonarchPalace

When you visit the Monarch sanctuaries we recommend the following:

• Do not disturb butterflies which are resting on the trees. They come from a long trip, searching for a place to survive the severity of winter.

• Keep at a distance of 50 meters from the trees which are occupied by butterflies and do not make any noise when you are near the colonies.

• Avoid throwing garbage or damaging forest plants, especially small trees. Remember that the forest is an ecosystem where all organisms live together.

• Use only recognised paths to visit the Monarch butterflies and thus, help to diminish erosion of the ground, where all lifecycles begin.

• If you discover that someone is disturbing butterflies or destroying any organism of the sanctuaries, report it to the guides of the place, the authorities of the local Tourist Committee or, if necessary, to the authorities of the ejido.

• In the same way, you should report to the environmental authorities those cases when tourist services are not performed with care. In the end, the ones affected by these bad practices are butterflies.

• When you travel through the Monarch region or, if you live there, report any cases of illegal logging or any type of illegal procedure against the species of the hibernation forests. You can communicate with the Environment Protection Federal Attorney's Office (PROFEPA), as well as with the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (RBMM).

Originally, the responsibility of the Monarch butterfly conservation fell mainly on Mexico, because the larger amount of these migratory butterflies from North America are concentrated in the oyamel fir forests of the States of Mexico and Michoacan. However, it is now known that the generations of reproductive butterflies in Canada and the United States, as well as their subsequent generations, determine the number of butterflies which come to Mexico to hibernate. Hence, the responsibility is shared by the three countries. Everyone interested in the conservation of the largest migration phenomenon of any animal species on our planet should join efforts, in order to convert this great challenge in an exemplary coordination effort among human beings and neighboring countries.