by Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Of the many butterflies, none has captured our collective attention and awe over the years quite like the monarch. Will we finally protect them?
Monarch populations in North America have rapidly declined, and in December, federal biologists proposed that the butterfly receive protection as a threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is holding a public comment period until March 12th to help decide if it should list monarchs as threatened and grant them much-needed protections, and they are asking for the public’s help.
This proposed rule builds on and enhances monarch conservation efforts. Today, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80%. The western migratory population (which overwinters in California) has declined by more than 95%, putting it at a greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080. During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs is over 50%.
Policies to protect the monarchs are not keeping pace with their decline. In 2020, the USFWS said it did not have the money or resources to protect the species even though it met the criteria under the Endangered Species Act. New Jersey currently lists this butterfly as a “Species of Special Concern,” a designation that affords virtually no protection but encourages monitoring. The status of butterfly populations has not been reviewed in New Jersey since 2015.
Threats to monarchs include migratory and overwintering habitat loss and degradation, industrialized agriculture, exposure to insecticides, and the effects of climate change. The remarkable migration of the butterfly is also in danger. If North American monarchs cannot successfully migrate and overwinter, they will go extinct.
Every eastern monarch butterfly that emerges from the chrysalis at the end of summer is programmed to travel south to Mexico, following landmarks along coasts and through mountain ranges for almost 3,000 miles! The generation that overwinters in Mexico stays in the rare oyamel fir cloud forests, which are very sensitive to climate change. The monarchs rest and mate until it is time to leave the wintering site and lay eggs.
Monarchs are part of a larger global trend in declining insect populations. “The insect apocalypse is here,” says Sharon Wander, founder of the New Jersey chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA). Insects are declining generally due to habitat loss, industrialized agriculture, and the use of herbicides and insecticides.
A 2017 German study found that the number of insects recorded had declined by a staggering 70% over a 30-year period. Subsequent studies show that this decline is a worldwide phenomenon.
“In New Jersey alone, we have already lost five species of butterflies,” Wander notes.
A recent executive order by President Donald Trump, which declared an “energy emergency,” includes rolling back the federal Endangered Species Act. It is unclear how the USFWS will uphold that Act, as mandated by Congress, in light of the dramatic shifts under the new administration in Washington.
Two key steps you can take to change the fate of monarchs and other declining insects: plant native flowers, shrubs, and trees that act as monarch magnets, and don’t spray insect-killing pesticides that poison native plants and the insects that feed on their leaves and flowers.
And of particular importance right now, raise your voice for the monarch! Whether you are part of an organization with scientific knowledge or a butterfly lover, you can write a comment by visiting https://www.regulations.gov/ and searching docket number FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137.
While researchers will be submitting findings from scientific literature, a flurry of comments from butterfly enthusiasts can create an important public outcry in support of saving these winged beauties. A short and simple message urging protection can really make a difference.
From providing comments on the federal proposal to changing what we plant in our outdoor spaces, we can each help bring these beautiful insects – and their brethren – back from the brink of extinction. But there’s no time to waste!
To learn more about NABA and their New Jersey chapter, including exciting talks and events, visit https://njbutterflies.org/index.html. And to learn about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
