Butterfly population decline is measurable, documented, and connected to something most people eat every day. Federico Riva of Carleton University helped lead a global analysis to figure out how bad it actually is.

The UK has been counting butterflies since 1976. North America and Europe show clear declining trends. The tropical world is largely unmapped. Riva's global collaboration, built with researchers from every major continent, found that understanding where declines are happening and why is the first step. Habitat loss, he says, needs to be reversed now.

Canada's Boreal Forest ranks among the largest remaining wildlife sanctuaries on the planet. Monarch butterflies migrate here from Mexico every year. Riva did 500 days of field work in Alberta's forests counting butterflies. His advice for anyone not yet paying attention: start with the monarch. Five minutes, he says, is usually enough.

Topics: butterfly population decline, habitat loss Canada, monarch butterfly migration, Boreal Forest wildlife, pollinator loss food

GUEST: Federico Riva

Originally aired on 2026-05-12