Canadian monarch enthusiasts, experts welcome possible new protections for butterfly in U.S.

Monarch butterfly enthusiasts and experts in Canada say possible increased protections for the species in the United States are important.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed Tuesday that the monarch butterfly be added to the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). "Threatened," according to the U.S. government, means that those species are likely to become endangered in the "foreseeable future." 

Heather Kharouba, associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Biology department, studies the impact of climate change on monarch butterflies. 

She says the proposal from the U.S. is a move in the "right direction," despite some debate and uncertainty around how much the population has actually been declining. 

"Generally, I think a precautionary approach is what's needed, especially with climate change," she said.

What does the proposal mean? 

The ESA provides extensive protections to species listed as endangered or threatened. Under the act, it's illegal to import, export, possess, transport or kill an endangered species. A threatened listing, however, allows for exceptions to those protections. 

In the monarch's case, the proposed listing would generally prohibit anyone from killing or transporting the butterfly. 

People and farmers could continue to remove milkweed, a key food source for monarch caterpillars, from their gardens, backyards and fields, but would be prohibited from making changes to the land that make it permanently unusable for the species.

The U.S. proposal would also designate more than 1,700 hectares in seven coastal California counties, where monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains migrate for winter, as critical. 

The designation would prohibit federal agencies from destroying or modifying that habitat. In some cases, landowners who need a federal licence or permit would have to work with the wildlife service to mitigate damage. 

As for what this means for the monarchs in Canada, Kharouba says it's important because it's a migratory species. 

She added that what's done to better protect them there should mean that Canadians will see populations remain steady or increase. 

Climate change having an impact on monarchs: experts

While experts don't have a full understanding of climate change's impact on monarchs, Kharouba says there is growing evidence that shows it's harmful. 

For example, extreme heat from droughts and increasing winter storms in Mexico — where certain monarchs stay over the winter season — kill them off. Kharouba says some of the work her team is doing at the University of Ottawa is looking at the way the change in climate is affecting nectar — the monarch's food source. 

Because the monarch spans multiple regions and climate change looks different in each area every year, it requires collaboration between countries. 

Ryan Drum, lead conservation biologist for pollinators with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says for example if there's a drought in central U.S., that might mean that other habitats in eastern U.S. or Canada become more important for the species that year. 

The goal then, he says, is for Canada, U.S. and Mexico to continue to work together to build a "resilient system" habitats for the monarchs.  

Why 'endangered' in Canada, but 'threatened' in the U.S.?

The Canadian government listed monarch butterflies as an endangered species in December 2023 under the federal Species at Risk Act.

Cat Darst, a classification co-ordinator for the Pacific Southwest region with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says that based on their scientific assessments, they find that the monarch is "likely to become endangered in the future," but isn't there yet. 

Environment and Climate Change Canada did not want to comment. According to a government fact sheet, though, the monarch population in North America has "declined considerably," which has sparked concern over its survival and annual migration. 

The fact sheet notes that while there are threats to the species, some of those are "uncertain." 

Monarch enthusiasts champion more protection

Wearing a "Let's Save the Monarch Butterfly" hat, Leo Silvestri is encouraged by the news. 

One of many monarch advocates in Windsor-Essex, Silvestri says anything that can be done to secure habitat and raise awareness is essential. 

"I think that they deserve to be here in the future," he said. 

While he thinks these listings are important and can be helpful, Silvestri emphasized that provinces have their own classification, which impacts how the monarch is looked after. 

In Ontario, the monarch is listed as "special concern," which means that the monarch doesn't "receive species or habitat protection."

Silvestri is a big advocate of community members doing what they can to help. It's why he's now spent years planting milkweed and teaching others what they can do. 

Sarah Rupert, promotion officer at Point Pelee National Park in southwestern Ontario, remembers when there were hundreds of thousands of monarchs gathering at Canada's most southern mainland point as part of their migration.

Now, she says, there has been a drastic decline in the number that pass through. 

On top of that, she says they've observed a longer fall migration of six to eight weeks, whereas before it would be about a three-week window. 

"Of course, you know, we are super concerned about the overall population," she said. 

Long road for U.S. wildlife service's proposal 

The Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups petitioned the service in 2014 to list the monarch as threatened. That year, the agency launched a review, concluding six years later that listing was warranted, but other species took priority.

The centre filed a federal lawsuit and won a settlement in 2022 that called for the government to decide whether to list monarchs by September 2024. The government secured an extension to December. 

Tuesday's announcement kicks off a 90-day public comment period — which Canadians can also participate in. If the listing moves forward, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has until December of 2025 to publish it.