{"id":28521,"date":"2020-02-05T21:46:53","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T20:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=28521"},"modified":"2025-07-02T09:39:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:39:55","slug":"tragic-death-of-butterfly-activists-are-reminder-of-dangers-facing-environmental-defenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/28521\/tragic-death-of-butterfly-activists-are-reminder-of-dangers-facing-environmental-defenders\/","title":{"rendered":"Tragic death of butterfly activists are reminder of dangers facing environmental defenders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\n\n

We mourn the loss of Homero G\u00f3mez and Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez, defenders of the Monarch butterfly and their homes. We condemn the violence against the environmental activists in their own home and country. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

On the front lines of climate change, environmental activism is costing the protectors their lives. <\/p>\n\n

In less than a week, two butterfly sanctuary workers in Mexico have been found dead. Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez was found Saturday morning, only two days after the funeral of Homero G\u00f3mez, <\/em>an activist found dead days earlier. These deaths are seen as part of a global pattern aimed at silencing activists. <\/p>\n\n

Both men worked to protect monarch butterflies’ winter habitat in Mexico: G\u00f3mez opened and managed a butterfly sanctuary as part of a strategy to stop illegal logging in the area while Hern\u00e1ndez worked as a butterfly tour guide [1].  Michoacan, home to both activists, is also home to the country\u2019s largest monarch butterfly reserve. <\/p>\n\n

Each year, millions of the orange and black insects make the 2000 mile (3220 km) journey from Canada to Mexico to winter in warmer weather. However, climate change linked to weather changes and an ever evolving habitat has brought new challenges. <\/p>\n\n

The illegal logging industry, however, poses the biggest threat – to both the physical sanctuaries and to the world\u2019s largest butterfly migration. <\/p>\n\n

Activists, who have long spoken out against the illegal logging industry, eventually succeeded last year in reducing logging activity<\/a> around the butterfly sanctuaries in Michoacan but logging license corruption still plagues the area. The defense of the territory, natural resources and biodiversity has made activists victims of persecution, threats and cowardly acts, as evidenced by the taking of their lives.<\/p>\n\n

Targeted killings are a grim reality for environmental activists globally. In Latin America, they happen weekly and recently, in Nicaragua, 6 Indigenous leaders were killed in a Biosphere raid<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

This cannot continue to be the case, and it\u2019s time to acknowledge inequality of risk for activists working across the world. Those on the front lines of environmentalism are responding to threats for our future, while managing very real threats in the present.<\/p>\n\n

To the family, friends and fighting partners, we send our solidarity. We demand justice and peace for activists of all causes and we reiterate the urgency of having effective protection mechanisms for the defenders of the land.<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>\n\n
\n\n

Espa\u00f1ol<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Lamentamos la p\u00e9rdida de Homero G\u00f3mez y Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez, defensores de la mariposa monarca y sus hogares. Condenamos la violencia contra los activistas ambientales en su propio hogar y pa\u00eds.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

En la primera l\u00ednea del cambio clim\u00e1tico, el activismo ambiental le est\u00e1 costando la vida a los protectores.<\/p>\n\n

En menos de una semana, dos trabajadores de santuarios de mariposas en M\u00e9xico fueron encontrados muertos. Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez fue encontrado s\u00e1bado, 1 de febrero, por la ma\u00f1ana, solo dos d\u00edas despu\u00e9s del funeral de Homero G\u00f3mez, un activista encontrado muerto d\u00edas antes. Estas muertes son ejemplos de global modelo destinado a silenciar a los activistas.<\/p>\n\n

Los dos hombres trabajaron para proteger el h\u00e1bitat invernal de las mariposas monarcas en M\u00e9xico: G\u00f3mez estableci\u00f3 y administr\u00f3 un santuario de mariposas como parte de una estrategia para detener la tala ilegal en el \u00e1rea, mientras que Hern\u00e1ndez trabaj\u00f3 como gu\u00eda tur\u00edstico de mariposas [1]. Michoac\u00e1n, hogar de ambos activistas, tambi\u00e9n la mayor reserva de mariposas monarcas del pa\u00eds.<\/p>\n\n

Cada a\u00f1o, millones de los insectos anaranjados y negros hacen el viaje de 2000 millas (3220 km) de Canad\u00e1 a M\u00e9xico para pasar el invierno en climas m\u00e1s c\u00e1lidos. A\u00fan, cambios de clima y un h\u00e1bitat en constante evoluci\u00f3n ha tra\u00eddo nuevos desaf\u00edos.<\/p>\n\n

Sin embargo, la industria de la tala ilegal representa la mayor amenaza,  igual al los santuarios f\u00edsicos y la mayor migraci\u00f3n de mariposas del mundo.<\/p>\n\n

Los activistas, quienes han hablado en contra por mucho tiempo de la industria de la tala ilegal, finalmente lograron reducir el a\u00f1o pasado la actividad de tala alrededor de los santuarios de mariposas en Michoac\u00e1n, pero la corrupci\u00f3n de las licencias de tala todav\u00eda afecta al \u00e1rea. La defensa del territorio, los recursos naturales y la biodiversidad ha convertido a los activistas en v\u00edctimas de persecuci\u00f3n, amenazas y actos cobardes. <\/p>\n\n

Los asesinatos selectivos son una realidad sombr\u00eda para los activistas ambientales a nivel mundial. En Am\u00e9rica Latina, ocurren semanalmente y recientemente, en Nicaragua, 6 l\u00edderes ind\u00edgenas fueron asesinados en una redada en la Biosfera.<\/p>\n\n

Este no puede seguir siendo el caso, y es hora de reconocer la desigualdad de riesgo para los activistas que trabajan en todo el mundo. Aquellos en la primera l\u00ednea del ambientalismo est\u00e1n respondiendo a las amenazas para nuestro futuro, mientras manejan amenazas muy reales en el presente.<\/p>\n\n

A la familia, amigos y compa\u00f1eros de combate, enviamos nuestra solidaridad. Exigimos justicia y paz para los activistas de todas las causas y reiteramos la urgencia de contar con mecanismos efectivos de protecci\u00f3n para los defensores de la tierra.<\/p>\n\n

Statement from Greenpeace Mexico (Espa\u00f1ol)<\/a><\/p>\n\n

1. https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-latin-america-51356265?ocid=socialflow_twitter<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRaise your voice for Climate Justice\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

It\u2019s time for all of us to assert our rights, demand climate justice, and a dignified way of life.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t \n Take action\n <\/a>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We mourn the loss of Homero G\u00f3mez and Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez, defenders of the Monarch butterfly and their homes. We condemn the violence against the environmental activists in their own home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":28523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"[caption id=\"attachment_28523\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]\"Monarch Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).
These short lived insects migrate to Mexico each year, but no single butterfly completes the return journey. Instead four different generations are born throughout the year and each completes a segment of the round trip. They can fly at between 20km and 40km an hour, and make use of updrafts of warm air called thermals to rise high into the air and slowly glide down. This endangered species has been negatively impacted by herbicides, human disturbances, and predation.[\/caption]","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"not set","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70,73],"tags":[84,90],"p4-page-type":[59],"class_list":["post-28521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","category-social-and-economic-systems","tag-forests","tag-peace","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28521"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76229,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28521\/revisions\/76229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28521"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=28521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}