Huge swarms of Monarch butterflies.

Huge swarms of Monarch butterflies, once believed to be the souls of ancestors returning for the annual Day of the Dead, illuminate the autumnal forests of Michoacana in Mexico following their lengthy migration from North America.

Michoacana is one of 25 sites (in France, Spain, Morocco, Russia and Vietnam as well as Mexico) recently added to UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere network, which aims to help protect biodiverse areas by engaging local communities and government agencies, while ensuring the livelihoods of local people by encouraging eco-tourism.

15 January 2007