In a visit coordinated by Nat Hab’s conservation travel partner, World Wildlife Fund, a TV crew from CBS News 60 Minutes journeyed to Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve to document the monarchs’ unique migration phenomenon and the work being done to protect the forests where they spend each winter. And during their trip, they interviewed Nat Hab’s very own Court Whelan!

An Expedition Leader who is also our Chief Sustainability Officer, Court’s Ph.D. research focused on monarchs, and he was on the ground in Mexico to speak with the team about this conservation achievement. Watch Court discuss monarch conservation with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes:

In an exciting recent discovery, the monarch butterfly population that migrates to Mexico’s Central Highlands nearly doubled its numbers this year! WWF, which monitors the monarch population annually along with the Mexican government, reported that the butterflies occupied 4.42 acres of forest during the 2024-2025 winter, a significant increase from the 2.22 acres occupied the previous winter.

This rebound is good news indeed, but the monarchs aren’t “out of the woods”…They still face threats from climate change and habitat destruction due to loss of milkweed, pesticide use and illegal logging.

Every guest who joins us on a Kingdom of the Monarchs adventure or a Monarch Butterfly Photo Expedition helps protect the butterflies through conservation travel, adding economic value to conserving monarchs and inspiring local communities.

Watch the full 60 Minutes coverage here: