- November 20, 2024 - Insectarium : Mission Monarch
Mission Monarch had the chance to interview Anthony Battah, a 40-year-old ultra-marathoner who pulled off a remarkable feat in 2023 by running 4,500 kilometers in 90 days. The journey, which he named Ultra-Trail Monarch (UTM), took him across North America, from Canada to Mexico, with the aim of raising public awareness to the importance of preserving our planet and its biodiversity. He was accompanied the entire adventure by his wife, Nancy, and their daughter, Laurence, who followed him in a vehicle. By taking up this challenge, Anthony, a lawyer by training, was able to combine his interest in justice, in running and in the environmental cause. Back in Canada, he was happy to have raised more than $30,000 which he will donate to Mission Monarch, a participatory science program that maps the breeding grounds of the monarch, that famous orange-winged migratory butterfly.
“Ultra-Trail Monarch is a citizen-based initiative whose aim is to draw attention to the threat facing the monarch butterfly,” Anthony explains. “But there’s much more to it than that! The monarch is an emblem of biodiversity.”
The ultra-marathoner is referring to the alarming decline of monarch populations in North America. The insect, which shares its host plant, milkweed, with close to 450 other insect species,1 has a habitat in common with even more species that benefit from the nectar-producing plants often found alongside milkweed. Protecting the monarch’s habitat amounts to protecting an immense source of biodiversity as well.
It was with this project in mind that Anthony modeled the itinerary of his race on the monarch butterfly’s migratory path. “If I’m running for the monarch,” he points out, “it’s for the planet and its biodiversity, not just for the species. The idea is to focus on the chain, not just on one link.” And indeed, the monarch’s decline reflects that of other species.
A warm welcome
Anthony relates that he was warmly welcomed everywhere he went, as much in southern Ontario as in the central United States and in Mexico. As the kilometers went by, he could see how concerned people were with the environment, with preserving wildlife, with pollution and with protecting the planet. “I was really taken with Mexico and its regions,” Battah says. “I met an extraordinary people there, extremely generous. The monarch is part of their daily lives, and the fact that a Canadian was concerned about a cause so close to their hearts roused their interest and made people that much more welcoming.”
The importance of taking action
When we asked Anthony how he’d like Ultra-Trail Monarch to be remembered, he answered: “I’d like people to remember that it’s important to take action.” Anthony is optimistic about our ability to reverse current trends and to reach our goals and targets in terms of protecting the environment, fighting climate change and saving endangered species. “It’s an enormous challenge,” he explains. “It calls for a great deal of collaboration across all jurisdictions, but when we take action, we can get it done: that’s the UTM message.”
The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the monarch’s wintering area in Mexico by Catalina Aguada, who then informed Canadian scientist Fred Urqhart. When we asked Anthony what his hopes were for the monarch in the coming years, the runner replied: “For people to become aware of the importance of protecting the monarch.”
On behalf of the entire Mission Monarch team at the Insectarium de Montréal | Espace pour la vie, we thank Anthony Battah for his courage, his perseverance and his exemplary generosity. Actions taken for the planet like his are an inspiration to us all!
How to contribute to Mission Monarch?
To monarch enthusiasts who’d like to contribute to the conservation of this emblematic butterfly: don’t worry, you won’t have to run 4,500 kilometers! You can also help save the species much closer to home. Did you know that the community-science program Mission Monarch makes it possible for you to carry out monarch and milkweed micro-inventories in your neighborhood, wherever you are in Canada? Not just that, your user profile will give you an overview of all your monarch inventories! To find out more, visit the Mission Monarch website.
To support our program, you can make a donation via Fondation Espace pour la vie.
1The Milkweed Insects. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Accessed June 25, 2024, from https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2005/jul/072201.htm
