Monarch Butterflies Listed as Endangered Species by Wildlife Monitor
North America's iconic monarch butterfly is at risk because of habitat destruction and climate change.
A monarch butterfly on a milkweed plant flower.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature on Thursday added the migratory monarch butterfly to its Red List of Threatened Species. The list is a "critical indicator of the health of the world's biodiversity" and includes over 145,000 species, with about 41,000 threatened with extinction.
The IUCN cites "habitat destruction and climate change" as contributing factors for the majestic insect. Drought, wildfires and temperature extremes have reduced and altered the growth of milkweed, their main source of food, triggering too-early migration patterns before the plant is available to eat. Deforestation practices and intense pesticide usage have also contributed to the butterfly's decline, according to IUCN.
The western population of the migratory monarch butterfly, which has declined by an estimated 99.9% within the last 40 years, is at the greatest risk of extinction, according to IUCN. The larger eastern population has also shrunk by 84% between 1996 and 2014.
"It is difficult to watch monarch butterflies and their extraordinary migration teeter on the edge of collapse, but there are signs of hope," said IUCN SSC butterfly and moth specialist Anna Walker, the leader of the monarch butterfly assessment. "So many people and organizations have come together to try and protect this butterfly and its habitats."
Walker added that people can support monarch recovery by planting native milkweed, reducing pesticide usage and contributing to scientific efforts.