US wildlife officials move to add iconic monarch butterfly to threatened species list

(CNN) — Every winter, millions of monarch butterflies journey thousands of miles across North America to spend winters in the forests and mountains of central Mexico.

But over the years, the beloved butterfly has seen such a troubling decline in its population that US wildlife officials on Tuesday announced a proposal to help protect the species.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. The law states that a species is labeled “threatened” when it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

Flitting from flower to flower, sipping nectar to pollinate plants, the monarch plays a significant role in maintaining its ecosystem’s biodiversity. The species, with its iconic orange-and-black markings, is a vital food source for various animals.

However, growing threats such as habitat loss from illegal logging, exposure to insecticides, and the climate crisis have dramatically shifted the monarch’s breeding and migratory patterns.

Monarch’s steep decline

The loss of pollinators like the monarch could have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and the people who rely on them. The butterfly’s eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by roughly 80%, while the western migratory population plunged by more than 95% since the 1980s, according to US wildlife officials.

Without any immediate action, officials warn that the monarch could likely vanish from the continent for good before the end of the century.

Already in 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorized the migratory monarch butterfly, specific to North America, as endangered due to climate change and habitat loss. In just one year, between 2021 and 2022, the presence of monarch butterflies in their Mexican forest wintering grounds dropped by 22%, according to a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund.

Eduardo Rendón-Salinas, the lead of the monarch butterfly program for WWF-Mexico, previously told CNN that the climate crisis is a major contributing factor to the decline. Droughts, frost and heat across the continent are killing milkweed, the monarchs’ food source, and destroying their habitat.

Rendón-Salinas said what’s happening to monarch butterflies is representative of what pollinator species such as bees, birds and other butterflies face globally.

“Pollinators are responsible for 75% of the production of the food for humans,” he said. To save these monarchs, “humans must reduce the emissions of gasses warming the atmosphere. A lot of (monarchs) are dying. That is my call to action.”

Plan to protect monarchs

If finalized, the proposed rule would build and expand conservation efforts including protecting nearly 4,400 acres in California as habitat vital for the western populations. But with President-elect Donald Trump — whose previous administration attempted to water down protections for endangered species — set to take office, experts say there are additional things people can do to protect the species.

“Stabilizing and reversing population trends requires an all-hands approach that not only relies on government protections, but also collaboration among landowners, farmers, conservationists and everyday citizens,” said Clay Bolt, the World Wildlife Fund’s manager of pollinator conservation.

US wildlife officials, too, remain hopeful.

“Despite (the monarch’s) fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance,” Martha Williams, director of the fish and wildlife agency, told CNN. “Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts.”

Williams said providing monarch butterflies with sufficient milkweed and nectar plants, “even in small areas,” can go a long way in helping them recover.

“Working together, we can help make this extraordinary species a legacy for our children and generations to come,” she said.

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