Share
Illegal logging at wintering grounds in Mexico contributes to the monarch butterfly’s decline.
FRANS LANTING/MINT IMAGES/SCIENCE SOURCE
U.S. agency sidesteps listing monarch butterflies as endangered
Dec. 15, 2020 , 6:20 PM
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced today it will not yet protect one of North America’s best known butterflies under the Endangered Species Act. The agency concluded that the iconic black and orange monarch (
Danaus plexippus) has suffered population declines steep enough to possibly qualify for federal protection, but FWS will take no action at this time because 161 species already being considered for the list are a higher priority for support from the agency’s limited budget.