Citizen Science Project Tracks Monarch Butterflies in Cozumel

Cozumel, Mexico — The Cozumel Parks and Museums Foundation (FPMC) has joined a citizen science project to record and study the presence of monarch butterflies in the Yucatan Peninsula, with particular focus on Cozumel Island, as part of efforts to promote scientific outreach, community participation, and biodiversity conservation.

In coordination with the community group Alas Mayas, FPMC presented the conference “Monarch Butterfly, the Route of the Mayab” at the Island Museum, creating a space for learning and reflection about research advances on the migration of this emblematic species in southeastern Mexico and the Caribbean region.

The activity took place in the museum’s auditorium and brought together individuals interested in environmental conservation, who learned firsthand about the scope of this collaborative project that seeks to identify and document the migratory route of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) through citizen observation.

The presentation was led by María Cecilia Álvarez Ricalde, Roger Iván Sosa Pinto, and Juan Flores Valadez, members of the Alas Mayas group, who collaborate with Dr. Cristina Dockx from the University of Florida in researching the passage of monarch butterflies through the Yucatan Peninsula.

During the session, it was explained how, through the use of digital platforms like iNaturalist, key sightings have been recorded in the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatan, as well as on islands including Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Contoy.

It was highlighted that this collective effort has gathered nearly 400 observations in the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as identified monarch butterfly reproduction zones in the northeastern region.

Additionally, the first results of BioRegistro 2025 were presented, an initiative that calls on the population to document sightings and contribute to the scientific knowledge of the species at an international level.

Through such activities, FPMC provides spaces open to knowledge, scientific outreach, and community collaboration, fostering an active environmental culture that contributes to the conservation of emblematic species and the strengthening of social fabric in Cozumel and the region.

The conference was organized by the Conservation and Environmental Education Directorate, headed by biologist Rafael Chacón Díaz, who along with his team of biologists and natural resource management graduates has been a pioneer in observing and recording monarch butterflies on Cozumel Island.

In this context, FPMC General Director Juanita Alonso Marrufo mentioned that these actions align with the New Agreement for Well-being and Development of Quintana Roo, led by Governor Mara Lezama, by placing people and the environment at the center of public policies.

“Promoting citizen science is fundamental to generating awareness and social co-responsibility in caring for our natural heritage, placing people and the environment at the center of public policies,” she concluded.