"SAN MATEO ALMOMOLOA, Mexico -- After a staggering decline over the past two decades, the population of the iconic monarch butterfly is expected to recover following coordinated efforts across North American governments, Mexico's environment minister said on Thursday.

The monarchs, unique among butterflies for the length of their annual migration, are a major tourist draw to the temperate forests of central Mexico where millions hunker down for the winter.

The black-and-orange insects have been damaged by illegal logging and pesticide use that have destroyed the milkweed plants they depend on for food and to lay their eggs."

Noe Torres reports for Reuters November 12, 2015. [2]