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Are monarchs endangered? Scientists debate as United States mulls protection
Jan. 8, 2021 , 3:00 PM
Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared that one of North America’s best known butterflies, the monarch, might be in trouble. But the agency put off protecting the insect under the federal Endangered Species Act. In the meantime, researchers are continuing to debate how best to gauge the health of monarch populations.
In recent months dueling preprints and publications have intensified the debate. In one camp: researchers who have documented drastic declines in the number of monarchs in Mexico and other areas where some butterflies spend the winter. They believe the species needs immediate help, particularly by protecting and expanding the milkweed-filled meadows where its larvae feed. In another: scientists who have tallied butterfly numbers in areas they occupy during the warmer months and concluded there is less cause for alarm. As a species, monarchs “d
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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.
Losing crucial Kansas habitat, federal agency to decide whether to protect Monarchs Sarah Spicer, The Wichita Eagle
Dec. 14 This week, a decision is expected as to whether the Monarch, the famously recognizable orange and black colored butterfly, will receive endangered species status in the U.S.
Perhaps considered native Kansans, Eastern Monarchs lay vast proportions of their offspring in the state, their caterpillars depending on Kansas native milkweed as their sole food source.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide by Dec. 15 if the Monarch s plummeting population warrants listing and will be protected federally under the Endangered Species Act. If the agency decides that Monarch Butterflies are protected, it will make it illegal to kill, harm or harass the insects and restrict the destruction of certain plants, like Milkweed.