Dec. 14 -- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the federal agency said Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The Service now will seek public input on the proposal until March 12, 2025. The agency then will evaluate the comments and any additional information on the species and determine whether to list the monarch butterfly.
"The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating lifecycle. Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance," Martha Williams, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement. "Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts. Providing monarchs with enough milkweed and nectar plants, even in small areas, can help put them on the road to recovery. Working together, we can help make this extraordinary species a legacy for our children and generations to come."
With its notable orange and black markings, the monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable insects in the world. In North America, monarchs are grouped into two long-distance migratory populations. The eastern migratory population is the largest and overwinters in the mountains of central Mexico. The western migratory population primarily overwinters in coastal California.
In the 1980s, over 4.5 million western monarchs flocked to overwintering grounds in coastal California. In the mid-1990s, an estimated 380 million eastern monarchs made the long-distance journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico, completing one of the longest insect migrations in the world.
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 population at a greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080, the Service said.
During the same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs ranges from 56% to 74%, according to the Service's most recent species status assessment.
Threats to monarchs include loss and degradation of breeding, migratory and overwintering habitat; exposure to insecticides; and the effects of climate change. Although many people have already helped conserve the butterfly, additional habitat and protections are needed to ensure the species is conserved for future generations, the Service said.
"The monarch butterfly and its remarkable multi-generation migration are marvels of the natural world," Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said in a statement. "This science-based decision is a national call to action for all Americans to save this majestic species by joining forces to plant native milkweed and nectar plants all across the nation -- our yards, schools, parks, rights-of-way, businesses, places of worship, working lands and so much more.
"By working collaboratively, we will recover and safeguard this iconic species for future generations."
The Service on Tuesday said it is also proposing to designate 4,395 acres of critical overwintering habitat for migratory western monarchs in coastal California. Overwintering habitat provides an essential resting place for monarchs during the cold winter months and helps them prepare for breeding in the early spring. A critical habitat designation imposes no requirements on state or private land unless the action involves federal funding, permits or approvals.
In North Dakota, the Game and Fish Department lists the monarch butterfly as a Level 1 Species of Conservation Priority, a designation resulting from declining status either in the state or across the species' range.
The proposal to list the monarch butterfly and designate critical habitat was scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Dec. 12, opening a 90-day comment period that closes March 12, 2025.