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The World Wildlife Foundation recently reports that the number of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico has declined drastically. Although extreme drought conditions have dried up nectar plants monarch butterflies rely on for food. The destruction of their overwintering grounds also poses a considerate threat.

When monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico from Canada and the United States, they converge on oyamel fir trees. The trees provide shelter to monarch butterflies they are also essential to the communities that surround the forests. In the past, residents used the wood for cooking and heating, but recently, they have began to sell it in order to support their livelihoods. As a result of logging oyamel fir trees, the habitat of the monarch butterfly population has shrunk.

In 2008, scientists used satellite imagery to illustrate the degradation of oyamel fir forests. Officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States met to quickly develop a monarch butterfly conservation plan. A key feature of the plan focused on protecting the monarch butterflies’ habitat. Mexico agreed to enforce a ban on logging within the Monarch Biosphere Bio Reserve.

Despite various conversation efforts, including paying landowners for logging rights, the monarch butterfly population continues to decline. There was a 28 percent reduction in numbers of butterflies overwintering in Mexico. If further efforts are not made, some scientist predict the total collapse of the ecosystem that supports monarch butterflies in Mexico.

Based on the author’s tone, what can the reader conclude about the threat to monarch butterflies?
  1. It has developed gradually and is not yet significant.
  2. It may have been developing over a long period of time, but scientists did not notice it until recently.
  3. It began in 2008
  4. The crisis developed quickly over a short period of time and must be addressed immediately.
Explanation
Answer [D]: The crisis represented by the decline in the population of monarch butterflies in Mexico has been noticed recently and must be addressed immediately. In the first paragraph the author notes that the World Wildlife Foundation recently noticed the decline in butterflies in Mexico. Later in the passage the author points out that satellite imagery from 2008 showed the decline in forests, and finally, in the last paragraph, the author writes that the decline continues and more needs to be done.
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