USA TODAY International Edition
In Mexico, two activists found dead
Men were known for environmental efforts
A second person tied to a famed butterfly sanctuary in Mexico was found dead Saturday, sparking fear and outcry that the men may have been targeted for their environmental work, local media reported.
Raúl Hernández Romero, a tour guide at the monarch butterfly sanctuary in the state of Michoacán, was found dead early Saturday, having suffered apparent injuries from a sharp object, El Universal reported, citing state prosecutors.
Officials will perform an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, the newspaper reported.
Hernández Romero’s death comes just days after the funeral of Homero Gómez González, a prominent anti- logging activist who fought to preserve the forest where the butterflies travel every autumn and spend their winters.
Prosecutors said Gómez González’s death initially appears to be caused by drowning after his body was found last Wednesday in a small reservoir in the area, El Universal reported.
Authorities say it is unclear whether the two deaths are connected or whether the deaths are tied to the men’s connection to their work at the butterfly sanctuary, The Washington Post reported.
Magdalena Guzmán, a spokeswoman for the Michoacan attorney general’s office, told the Post authorities were “looking into several lines of investigation,” including ties to the sanctuary.
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage site less than 100 miles northwest of Mexico City.
Millions of monarch butterflies return to the site every year as part of their natural migration, according to UNESCO. The butterflies fly thousands of miles on the journey, which draws tourists every year.
However, illegal logging tied to criminal organizations and encroaching agriculture coupled with environmental changes worsened by climate change have threatened the forest in recent years.
According to the Post, 1,138 acres in the region were lost between 2005 and 2006 due to illegal logging.
The area was named a UNESCO site in 2008.
Gómez González was a vocal defender of the land, having organized protests and anti- logging patrols for the past decade. He also advocated for reforestation efforts and worked with local government to ensure farmers who did so received benefits, the Associated Press reported.
At his funeral, friends and family expressed fear that his death may signal more trouble for environmentalists in the area.
“Something strange is happening because they’re finishing off all the activists, the people who are doing something for society,” his brother Amado Gomez said.
In a statement, UNESCO said that Gómez González’s death “took place in an increasingly difficult context for those who work for the conservation of World Heritage sites.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called his death “painful.”
The country saw its highest number of homicides in 2019 with a record 34,582 victims, Reuters reported, a 2.5% rise compared to the year before. Activists are often threatened, harmed or killed for their work, the news agency reported.