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History portrays a tragic record of the highly unexpected decline of a once abundant, widespread and impressive species due to its genetic diversity.
Monarch Butterflies have declined 85%-90% in just two decades.
The western population that overwinters in California as part of its migration has suffered a devastating 99% decline. The migrating populations are less than half the size they need to be in order to avoid extinction.
While Monarch Butterflies are endemic to North America, they've spread throughout much of the world during the past 200 years
They currently inhabit over 90 countries, islands, and island groups but differ in ecosystem diversity, their morphology, migration and overwintering patterns, natural enemies, larval diet, and genetics (TMJV 2023).
After the last ice-age 20,000 years ago, the monarch population residing in the southern US and northern Mexico began to grow and expand their range and migration. These expansions were fueled by the abundance of milkweed habitats uncovered by the glacial recession. The population went through three separate dispersions into South America, to Oceania and Australia, and east across the Atlantic.
According to the IUCN red list (IUCN 2022) the monarch butterfly population is continuing to decrease, they do have in-place research and monitoring as well as in-place land and water protections.
Threat
Threat
Other than urban development and climate change, Monarchs are threatened by pesticides including toxic chemicals and herbicides, these chemicals kill the milkweed plants that they need to survive. Due to all of these factors, we could say that the US is the largest biodiversity hotspot for Monarch Butterflies.
The monarch population being so low lead government scientists to believe the migration could collapse, in March 2020 Climate Law & Policy Project, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Conservation Congress and more than 100 other groups called on Congress to increase funding to $100 million per year to help conserve monarch butterflies and their habitat.
Solution!
Solution!
Due to the fact that the population of this migrating species is not great enough to avoid extinction at this rate, I believe this species needs priority and immediate help and action. Planting large radius of an abundent milkweed and wildflower habitats or creating a law that bans the use of chemicals and pesticides for endangered habitats. I also think it would be great to instill "No Mow Zones" in every neighborhood or even schools to help educate on endangered species and why it is important to protect them. I believe educating the youth specifically is very important in the future health of our planet.
Below are some examples of how simple it can be to help conserve this species and its habitats.
Resources:
T. Curry (U/K). Center for Biological Diversity. Saving the monarch butterfly. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/monarch_butterfly/
NRCS Funding letter. (31 March 2020). Monarch Butterflies. https://biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/pdfs/FY2021_NRCS_funding_letter_monarch_ butterflies.pdf?_gl=1*1iqah72*_gcl_au*OTYyOTM4MjU1LjE2ODk2MDMwNzc.
IUCN Red List. (2022). Monarch Butterfly. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/159971/219149911
Monarch Joint Venture. (2023). Global distribution.
https://monarchjointventure.org/monarch-biology/global-distribution
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