In this episode, first aired in 2022, Dateline travels to Mexico's spectacular butterfly forest and meets its brave defenders. But as global demand for avocados surges, cartels are looking for quick profits, putting farmers and billions of butterflies under threat.

00:00 Intro
00:47 Inside Mexico's Monarch Butterly Reserve
05:06 Why monarch butterflies face extinction
10:04 The price for defending the butterfly forests
13:35 Why drug cartels are moving into the illegal logging
18:41 The violent fight for control over the avocado trade in Michoacán
21:10 Meet the militia defending avocado farms
24:15 On a night patrol against illegal loggers

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Dateline is an Australian award-winning international documentary series with a current affairs backbone.
Every week we transport you to a different part of the world to share half-hour stories about family, social injustice, identity, tragedy, redemption and survival. We scour the globe to bring you special characters and a world of daring stories.

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