Monarchs Threatened?

Jennifer Polanz

There’s the potential for the U.S. to label the Monarch butterfly as a protected species in the near future. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the protection and seeking public input to the proposal. Listing the Monarch butterfly as threatened allows species-specific protections and other considerations for conservation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing is available now on the Federal Register and public comments will be accepted until March 12, 2025.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife: “Today, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80%. The western migratory population has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s, putting the western populations at greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080. During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern Monarchs ranges from 56% to 74%.”

Meanwhile, the service is encouraging everyone to be a part of this species’ recovery—and that’s where our industry can help. We can encourage customers at retail and landscape to plant a variety of milkweed species.

“Providing Monarchs with enough milkweed and nectar plants, even in small areas, can help put them on the road to recovery,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. “Working together, we can help make this extraordinary species a legacy for our children and generations to come.” GP