The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched Monday a new campaign aiming to save the monarch butterfly. Found across the country, the monarch butterfly numbered some 1 billion in 1996. Today, the butterfly's population has declined by around 90 percent due to numerous threats brought about by human activity.
The Service will be working with the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, pledging $2 million in immediate funding for use in conservation projects across the U.S. To directly address issues, a network will be built, bringing together stakeholders and conservation partners. The network will be tasked to protect and restore monarch habitats while reaching out and engaging the American public in the conservation efforts.
"We can save the monarch butterfly in North America, but only if we act quickly and together," said Dan Ashe, Service Director. "Together we can create oases for monarchs in communities across the country."
The monarch butterfly is iconic in North America. Characterized by orange wings, the butterfly features a fascinating life cycle made even more interesting by its migration patterns. Each year, the monarch butterfly travels thousands of miles to Mexico, flying across the United States before heading to Canada.
The native milkweed is an important food source for the butterfly and its exclusive larval host plant so the degradation and eradication of the plant greatly affected the monarch butterfly's population.
Conservation projects will be mostly aimed at restoring and enhancing monarch habitats representing over 200,000 acres of land, many of them along the I-35 stretch from Texas to Minnesota which the monarch butterfly frequents during spring and summer to breed. The Service will also be supporting more than 750 pollinator gardens and schoolyard habitats to complement the bigger swathes of land being restored.
The monarch butterfly is an indicator of pollinator health so seeing the butterfly in greater numbers is a good thing. Monarchs decline as a result of environmental problems and that translates to potential risks to the country's food supply.
As part of the Service's effort to engage the public, a website dedicated to the monarch butterfly was put up, complete with details about the butterfly's plight as well as how the people can get involved in the conservation project. The agency is also looking to partner with landowners and farmers to improve management practices that will help in protecting and restoring habitats for the monarch butterfly.
