Monarch butterflies could gain threatened species status

Monarch butterfly enthusiasts received exciting news yesterday. On Dec. 10, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their proposal to protect the iconic species by listing it as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 to protect plants, animals and other life forms whose populations and habitats are being destroyed. Species categorized as “endangered” are at risk of becoming extinct in the near future. Others listed as “threatened” are at risk of quickly becoming endangered. Adding a species to the list of threatened or endangered lifeforms is a difficult process, but once achieved, the species receives immense federal protections. 

The monarch butterfly is a treasured, endemic species in communities across North and Central America. These butterflies take on great migrations each year, covering up to 3,000 miles and stopping across Mexico, the United States and Canada. 

Alameda County is a key part of the Western monarch’s habitat — monarchs that migrate to and from Mexico west of the Rocky Mountains. Historically, the East Bay Regional Park District has partnered with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to help track the Western monarch population numbers as they migrate across the area each winter. This has been vital to understanding the threats to monarch populations. 

Over the years, climate change, urbanization and pesticides have killed off big numbers of monarch butterflies. In the last two decades, Western monarch butterflies have seen a population decline of 95%. Monarch populations east of the Rocky Mountains have declined by 90%, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. 

“Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams in a statement on the proposed listing. “Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts.”

The official proposal to list the striking orange and black butterfly and its key habitat will be released on Dec. 14 in the Federal Register. This will kick off a 90-day comment period where the public can have their say on the species’ potential listing. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is encouraging the public to engage in the comment period and also asks the public to participate in their own conservation efforts to start protecting the monarch butterfly immediately.