20
Dec
Proposed Protections for Monarch Butterflies Highlights Pesticide Threats to Biodiversity Essential to Life
Image: Art Page submission from Carol Moyer, “Monarch Butterfly Sideways with Closed Wings.“
(Beyond Pesticides, December 20, 2024) On December 12, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) opened a public comment period on its proposal to list the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) as a threatened species and to designate critical habitats for the species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Under the proposal, the designated habitats would span approximately 4,395 acres throughout overwintering sites in coastal California. The public comment period will be open until March 12, 2025. These suggested protections call attention to the role of chemical-intensive agriculture in affecting populations of pollinators and other beneficial organisms.
George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety, shares in a press release that the “monarch listing decision is a landmark victory 10 years in the making. It is also a damning precedent, revealing the driving role of pesticides and industrial agriculture in the ongoing extinction crisis… But the job isn’t done: Monarchs still face an onslaught of pesticides. The Service must do what science and the law require and promptly finalize protection for monarchs.â€
In the docket, FWS states, “Under the Act, a species warrants listing if it meets the definition of an endangered species (in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range) or a threatened species (likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range). If we determine that a species warrants listing, we must list the species promptly and designate the species’ critical habitat to the maximum extent prudent and determinable.â€
FWS continues, “We have determined that the monarch butterfly meets the Act’s definition of a threatened species; therefore, we are proposing to list it as such and proposing a designation of its critical habitat… We have determined that the monarch butterfly meets the definition of a threatened species due to the following threats: the ongoing impacts from loss and degradation of breeding, migratory, and overwintering habitat (from past conversion of grasslands and shrublands to agriculture and widespread use of herbicides; logging/thinning at overwintering sites in Mexico; urban development, senescence ( i.e., deterioration with age), and incompatible management of overwintering sites in California; and drought); exposure to insecticides; and effects of climate change.â€
FWS plans to improve monarch populations include the need to “(1) achieve a significant increase in the availability of milkweed and nectar plants in monarch breeding and migratory areas; (2) protect and enhance overwintering habitat; (3) avoid and minimize impacts to monarchs and their habitat from insecticides and herbicides; and (4) maintain public support for the conservation of monarch butterflies.â€
Additional regulatory conservation efforts were proposed in July of 2024 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Draft Insecticide Strategy, which proposes a framework meant to identify which agricultural uses of conventional insecticides impact listed species and how to determine mitigation measures for those insecticides. (See Beyond Pesticides’ comments here.) This strategy will be finalized by March 31, 2025, according to EPA, and will be applied to new insecticide registrations and for existing insecticide reevaluations. Other initiatives through EPA and FWS include the Vulnerable Species Action Plan, which identifies mitigation measures for listed species particularly vulnerable to pesticides, but despite these efforts, the U.S. often fails to take meaningful action. (See more here.)
According to an article in USA Today; “The final decision will be in the hands of the incoming Trump Administration. In 2020, during the first Trump administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service found that monarchs were threatened with extinction but did not list them because other species were more high-priority.†(See previous coverage here, here, and here) This new opportunity to add monarch butterflies to the threatened list, and to designate critical habitats for them, would be responsive to scientists and advocates who have long noted the devastating population declines.
According to FWS, the eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies is the largest and overwinters in the mountains of central Mexico, while the western migratory population primarily overwinters in California. According to the Service’s most recent species status assessment: “Today, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80%. The western migratory population has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s, putting the western populations at greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080. During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs ranges from 56 to 74%.â€
As was reported in The Washington Post, finalizing the proposed rule would allow the monarch butterflies to “become one of the most widespread species ever protected under the 1973 law.†The Post continues: “The monarch is just one of the most visible species at risk of disappearing as an estimated 1 million plants and animals are threatened with extinction due to rising temperatures, shrinking habitat and other human-driven threats. The loss of pollinators such as butterflies could have profound effects on ecosystems and people who depend on them.â€
Beyond Pesticides previously reported that the biodiversity crisis is one of multiple crises that are compounding one another. While human actions are contributing to an ongoing Holocene or sixth mass extinction, the globe is also facing crises in human disease and climate change. The Endangered Species Act focuses on the species and habitats most at risk of extinction. However, the statement of purpose also recognizes the importance of conserving the ecosystem on which they depend.
Preserving biodiversity is imperative for all life and starts by considering all the factors that contribute to the crisis in the first place. Pesticide use is a major cause of declining biodiversity, which is manifested in extinctions, endangered species, and species vulnerable to environmental disturbances—including climate change, habitat fragmentation, and toxic chemicals. (See previous coverage over the last 10+ years on how these threats impact monarch butterflies here, here, here, here, here, and here.) Â
As reported by The New Lede: “Most pesticides registered for use in the US have not been rigorously tested for their impacts on insects other than honeybees, a single non-native species. Scientists and conservationists have argued for years that this system fails to protect pollinators and underestimates the toll of pesticides on these animals, which is especially relevant given the decline of many insect species worldwide.†(See Beyond Pesticides’ previous coverage on regulatory deficiencies for pollinators here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
To address these deficiencies, Earthjustice, on behalf of the Xerces Society, has petitioned EPA to require pesticide manufacturers to submit data that assesses impacts on more diverse insect pollinator species than just honeybees. In a recent article, Earthjustice shares: “We cannot ignore the risk of pesticides to the monarch and other native pollinator species. The decline of these invertebrate pollinators threatens all of us. To begin, human food systems, made possible by insect pollinators, are in trouble.â€
Protecting monarch butterflies is a necessary decision rooted in science. These pollinators play a critical role in the ecosystem, and their extinction would have cascading negative impacts. As Tierra Curry, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity says in a press release: “The fact that a butterfly as widespread and beloved as the monarch is now the face of the extinction crisis is a tri-national distress signal warning us to take better care of the environment that we all share… What’s bad for monarchs is bad for humans, so we have to stop pretending that our health is somehow separate from that of the wildlife our activities are decimating.â€
Within their press release, FWS’s director, Martha Williams, says: “The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating lifecycle. Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance… Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts. Providing monarchs with enough milkweed and nectar plants, even in small areas, can help put them on the road to recovery. Working together, we can help make this extraordinary species a legacy for our children and generations to come.†(See previous coverage on milkweed contamination from chemical-intensive agriculture here, here, and here.)
The elimination of petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers is the solution moving forward to help protect species, like the monarch butterfly, from population effects due to chemical exposure and climate change. In adopting organic land management practices, the harmful effects seen with conventional methods are mitigated and the health of the environment, including all organisms it supports, is prioritized.
The monarch as a species needs protection in the context of healthy biodiversity, which sustains life. Watch an eye-opening talk by internationally renowned researcher, professor, and author David Goulson, PhD, who in plain language draws together scientific research on the elements of nature, critical to the web of life that sustains the rich diversity needed for a healthy planet. See 2023 National Forum, Session 1.
Stay tuned for how you can take action to protect monarch butterflies through Beyond Pesticides’ Action of the Week and by submitting comments to FWS before the March 12 deadline.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Source:
Cervantes Jr., F. and Weise, E. (2024) Is the stunning monarch butterfly endangered? New proposal could change its status., USA Today. Available at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/10/monarch-butterfly-threatened-endangered-species/76898149007/.
Clark, M. (2024) Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Endangered Species Act Protection for Monarch Butterfly; Urges Increased Public Engagement to Help Save the Species, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Available at: https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/monarch-butterfly-proposed-endangered-species-act-protection.
Curry, T. and Kimbrell, G. (2024) Monarchs Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection, Center for Biological Diversity. Available at: https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/monarchs-proposed-for-endangered-species-act-protection-2024-12-10/.
Fish and Wildlife Service (2024) Endangered and Threatened Species: Species Status with Section 4(d) Rule for Monarch Butterfly and Designation of Critical Habitat, Regulations.gov. Available at: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137-0001.
Grandoni, D. (2024) U.S. moves to add monarch butterfly to the Endangered Species List, The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/12/10/monarch-butterfly-endangered-species-list/.
Main, D. (2024) EPA must tighten pesticide rules to protect pollinators like bees and butterflies, petition argues, The New Lede. Available at: https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/12/epa-must-tighten-pesticide-rules-pollinators-petition/.
Morrison, S. and Malfi, R. (2024) The Monarch Has Been Proposed for the Endangered Species List. It Still Needs Better Protections From Pesticides., Earthjustice. Available at: https://earthjustice.org/experts/sharmeen-morrison/the-monarch-has-been-proposed-for-the-endangered-species-list-it-still-needs-better-protections-from-pesticides.
