“The Guardians” is a cinematic story of human and nature in parallel. Told through the perspectives of an indigenous Mexican community and the threatened monarch butterflies they share a forest with, the film weaves together lyrical images and poetic storytelling to spin an epic tale of survival. SANTOS, a charismatic avocado and trout farmer, strives to sustain his family while ARISTEO, a philosophical tree caretaker worries that his vision for a pristine forest may not be taken up by the next generation. Both once logged the forest to provide for their families. But with the creation of a nature reserve to protect the monarchs who migrate here each year, the Mexican government decreed an end to logging. In retribution, many communities logged even more, clearing large swaths of trees. But recognizing the benefit of the forest to their own lives, Santos and Aristeo pioneered a community-wide conservation effort to protect and regrow the forest. Now, every 24 hours, men from the community volunteer to patrol for illegal loggers and each year, the whole community participates in reforestation. Yet a life centered on conservation comes at a cost. Absent logging income and in the face of encroaching modernity, they struggle to carve out a way of life. Santos, wary of chemical farming and parting with the traditional tools of his Aztec ancestors, faces a plague that may wipe out his avocado harvest. Aristeo sees his vision for sustained conservation threatened by signs of logging in nearby communities. “Those of us who want to conserve are suddenly enemies of those who want to destroy.”
Just as the people struggle to survive in their indigenous forest habitat, so do the monarch butterflies. Twenty years ago, monarchs numbered almost a billion. But the population has steadily declined, numbering only 33 million in 2013, a 50% drop from the prior year. Scientists attribute this decline to deforestation of their Mexican lay eggs and their larvae feed. Over the course of one year, it takes four generations of monarchs to migrate from Mexico, across the United States to Canada and back. The Guardians follows the monarchs’ journey in metaphorical parallel to the lives of the people. As monarchs migrate through the United States, citizen scientists tag them for tracking and plant milkweed for their survival. The scenes offer a stark contrast to the world of Donaciano Ojeda, providing perspective on cross-cultural approaches to a shared conservation goal. By traversing the North American continent and relying on the ecology of three countries, monarchs serve as a powerful symbol of our collective environmental responsibility. For the people of Donaciano Ojeda, they take on this responsibility seriously. “Everything we plant is for the lungs of the world,” ARISTEO says. Thus, a community rarely heard in conservation discourse is finally given voice. “We’re marginalized people,” SANTOS says, imposed on by government regulation of their land and an encroaching modern world. Yet, like so many rural indigenous communities around the globe, the actions of Donaciano Ojeda are of significant consequence to the few protected areas of our planet and the threatened and endangered species that inhabit them. The Guardians places the community of Donaciano Ojeda center-stage so that we may properly consider the people upon whom the future of conservation rests. Weaving together the lives of monarch and people, the film asks if human and nature can coexist without one suffering at the expense of the other.
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I cannot see the preview of the documentary. How can I access this content.
Thank you
Hi Pablo, we currently don’t have a public preview available. But if you sign up for the newsletter you’ll get an exclusive clip and new content as we produce the film.
I’m very exciting to see this when it comes out. I support the Monarchs in Texas and am always looking for ways to help the people you will be filming. We appreciate all they do in Mexico. I wish there was a way that we could buy shirts or some of their handicraft to help them with their financial needs. I”ve heard there is not much internet or ability to do this. Good Luck as I’m sure it will be a beautiful story.
Hi Melanie, thanks for your comment! Sign up for the newsletter and you’ll be the first to know when the film is released. The people we are filming do make really beautiful baskets woven from pine needles collected in the forest. However, it’s really tricky to find a way for them to sell the baskets outside of the local towns. They don’t really have the ability to market, sell and distribute to the US unfortunately.
We are extremely interested in this project!
Monarchs For Peace is trying to engage the youth of Scouts de Mexico in an international service project to protect and replace lost monarch butterfly habitat. If there is ANY way we can collaborate with you, we would LOVE to do so! Please let us know if you can envision a partnership of any kind that would be beneficial to both our efforts.
We look forward to supporting your film project!!
Thanks Peter! Please like the film on facebook and sign up for the newsletter. We would love to partner in some way.
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