“Just last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the migratory monarch butterfly endangered, a decision that made headlines around the world. On September 27, with little fanfare, the organization downlisted the subspecies as vulnerable to extinction, a level lower on the risk-rating system.

The reason? Models showing the insect’s demise were likely too cautious, and its numbers are falling more slowly than thought, according to the IUCN.”

From National Geographic.