This adventure is ‘Universal’ meaning that it can be placed in any location across the world for a community to experience. This walk by award-winning journalist Anjan Sundaram is meant to be experienced in Monarch Groves and Habitats across the US, Canada and Mexico. If you’d like this experience available in your local Monarch habitat (it will be free to the public and you!), please contact us here.

From Award-Winning war reporter Anjan Sundaram…

… Comes a walk through your local Monarch Grove and through the story of Indigenous activists risking their lives for butterflies a world away.

While the Monarch Butterfly Groves of North America might seem to have nothing to do with a fight for freedom in Central Mexico’s forests, this story places you in the shoes of the armed community members defending the iconic butterfly you will find in this grove, from cartel-backed logging. 

Without them, this grove you are standing in now may cease to exist, and the biodiversity it supports along with it.

From journalist, war reporter, and writer Anjan Sundaram comes an insightful walk into the importance of butterflies and the indigenous communities who protect them.

This walk is best experienced via the audio narration, visiting 6 stops along your walk. At each stop, we encourage a dive into the links on the page which will provide additional information on the various topics covered on your walk.

Where Can I Do the Walk?

This walk can be done in multiple locations across North America as one of our Universal Adventures – get the preview for your closest version at the links below:

Clovis, CA | Saint Paul, MN | Toronto, ON

If you’d like this experience available in your local Monarch habitat (it will be free to the public and you!), please contact us here.

About The Author & Photographer

Anjan Sundaram is a journalist reporting on threats that environmental activists face around the world. He is a past recipient of the Reuters Environmental Journalism prize and a Frontline Club Award for his war correspondence in Central Africa in 2015. Support the independent journalism of Anjan Sundaram by donating here.

Rafael E. Lozano is a reporter and photographer based in Mexico. You can find more of his work on Instagram and X here. All photographs present in this story are his work.

You can find more of their reporting on this topic here.

Credits

This walk was originally an article that was part of a Vox series examining how the climate crisis is impacting communities around the world.