Paper short abstract:

We propose the Papiliocene as a place-based category that considers past and present socio-nature configurations to inform monarch butterfly conservation studies.

Paper long abstract:

The North American Monarch Butterfly is a well-known and protected insect due to its iconic migration and overwintering behaviour. The insect faces survival challenges along its migratory route within today's distinct nations of Canada, the United States and Mexico and has been widely researched by conservation science. While these conservation science studies are important, particularly in the overwinter UNESCO protected area in Mexico, they have not integrated indigenous and deep-time perspectives in the conservation of this butterfly. To the day, conservation science operating at this Unesco Reserve regards monarchs as discrete units and seeks to protect them independently of their human relations. This paper presents a different lens to monarch butterfly conservation by analyzing historical and current indigenous ecological knowledge of Jnato and Nya-Nyu (Mazahua and Otomi) groups who have historically inhabited monarch's overwinter forest. Based on the researcher’s fieldwork and active engagement with indigenous communities of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, our paper shows the long-term co-productive relations of these communities with the monarch forest, its waters, and guardian entities. We present three systems of indigenous knowledge and practices related to different yet related entities. 1) Water-rain-monarchs. 2) Corn-milpa-monarchs, and 3) Forest-mushroom-monarchs. By exploring these three interrelated areas of knowledge and practice, we aim to bring a long-term perspective to the current state of monarch conservation. We propose Papiliocene as a place-based category that considers past and present socio-nature configurations to inform monarch butterfly conservation studies.