With vivid black and orange wing patterns and extraordinary long-distance migrations, Monarch butterflies are beloved cross-cultural icons of endurance, transformation, and resilience. Yet despite their cherished status, Monarch butterflies are highly imperiled. Strong and abundant scientific evidence supports an urgent need for Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection for the Monarch butterfly to lay the groundwork for Monarch recovery.
Eleven years ago, conservation organizations petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the Monarch butterfly under the ESA. A formal recommendation by USFWS was announced in December 2024, advising that the species be listed as Threatened. This designation would provide ESA protections for Monarch butterflies, advancing them toward the goal of species recovery. Two public comment periods in response to the proposed listing closed on May 19th, 2025, with no decision yet announced by USFWS.
Image: Jeanne Dodds
While the ESA decision is being considered, Monarch butterflies continue to decline. The most recent assessment of the Western Monarch, a mid-season count of overwintering butterflies in California, counted just 8,000 individuals. These numbers reflect the Western Monarch butterfly’s precipitous decline from the 1980s, when 4 million butterflies overwintered along the California coastline. The numbers show the facts: the current year’s count is on track to be one of the lowest on record, and without urgent intervention, backed by ESA protection, Monarch population extinction is likely.
Take action by December 22nd to ensure that a Monarch listing decision can advance. You can do this by calling on the Trump administration to withdraw proposed changes that will harm the ESA. These changes, if enacted, will make it harder for species on the brink of extinction, like the Monarch butterfly, to receive necessary protections. Don’t let the life-affirming and awe-inspiring migration of the Monarch butterflies become just a memory. Please rise up to support Monarch butterflies and write your message to support the ESA today.
The post On the Brink: Why Monarch Butterflies Need Endangered Species Act Protection Now appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.