Resolution 2025-04
WHEREAS, the North American migratory monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (monarch) is vital for maintaining the health and diversity of natural ecosystems throughout its extensive range, which encompasses about 48 states of the eastern and western United States; and
WHEREAS, the eastern and western monarch populations’ decline serves as a pivotal ecological indicator, providing insights into the imperiled state of all native pollinators, with more than one in five facing a high risk of extinction, and noting that butterflies, bees, moths, and bats are the most vulnerable; and
WHEREAS, the eastern monarch butterfly population remains at a significant probability of quasi-extinction—estimated at 16-62% in the next 20 years—despite a recent doubling of overwintering habitat area to 4.42 acres in 2024–2025, while the western population faces catastrophic collapse with a probability of quasi-extinction of 99% over the next 20 years; and
WHEREAS, the monarch is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), federally listed as an at-risk species in Mexico, and designated as endangered in Canada; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed Endangered Species Act protections for the monarch as a threatened species, citing climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss as critical threats; and
WHEREAS, urban sprawl and other forms of habitat loss and fragmentation eliminate native milkweed—the sole host plant for monarch caterpillars—and nectar plants, crippling monarch reproduction rates and worsening the scarcity of food sources, respectively; and
WHEREAS, climate-driven habitat loss—including the loss of breeding habitat and overwintering forest degradation—threatens migratory success due to the loss of overwintering populations that are crucial to produce the following year’s first generation; and
WHEREAS, the monarch relies on temperature cues for migration, reproduction, and hibernation, with warming temperatures causing phenological mismatches and delayed migrations; and
WHEREAS, extreme weather events (e.g., droughts, storms) linked to climate change have caused catastrophic mortality events, including the 2002 storm that killed 80% of Mexico’s overwintering population; and
WHEREAS, the use of pesticides reduces the availability of native milkweed and nectar plants, affecting individuals of the species throughout their life stages; and
WHEREAS, other potentially detrimental practices, such as captive-rearing and use of non-native milkweeds (e.g., Asclepias curassavica), need to be addressed with further research and dissemination of best monarch conservation practices.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled June 3-6, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, supports the listing of the monarch as threatened under the Endangered Species Act based on current population levels, trends, and threats; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, as part of its monarch recovery strategy, supports:
- Increased efforts and resources for the restoration and enhancement of monarch-friendly native habitat in urban, rural, private, and public lands across North American breeding, migratory, and overwintering corridors; promoting and collaborating in the creation of habitat connectivity by creating monarch native habitat in home gardens, commercial spaces, public parks and lands, schools, and roadside in developed areas.
- Increased efforts to boost the restoration and conservation of private lands through the private lands conservation programs under the Federal Farm Bill.
- Integrating climate-smart strategies, such as climate-appropriate native milkweed and nectar plants, to anticipate climate change-driven range shifts.
- Best monarch conservation practices and public education and outreach concerning the threats posed by habitat loss, captive-mass rearing, removal of wild monarchs from the wild to raise at home, home pesticide use, and planting non-native milkweeds to the monarch and its recovery.