Monarch butterflies are recommended for protected status

Federal wildlife officials proposed Tuesday that monarch butterflies receive protection as a threatened species.

The flashy orange and black butterflies, which flutter forth each year on an epic migration that spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, are found from coast to coast in the United States during warmer months. Despite precipitous declines, they are still prevalent enough that, if the proposal goes through, they would become the most commonly seen species to receive federal protection.

That means officials are walking a tightrope with the proposal. Restrict too few activities that harm monarchs, and officials risk creating a merely symbolic listing that does little to stave off further declines. Restrict too many, and they could trigger a political backlash.

Tight rules could also backfire by dissuading people from creating butterfly habitat on their property, because the presence of a protected species could expose them to liability.

“There aren’t that many species where everyday people in their backyard can do something to help an endangered species,” said Jake Li, who leads efforts to list endangered species at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “That’s, to me, one thing that makes monarchs so different and why we want to put a heavier thumb on the scale of incentives for people to help us conserve the species.”

The fate of the proposal will ultimately depend on the new administration in Washington. Under Donald Trump’s first presidency, wildlife officials found that monarchs met the criteria for listing under the Endangered Species Act, but they were not placed under protection because other species were deemed to have priority.

There is some debate among scientists over the status of North American monarchs and what is driving observed declines in wintertime populations. To assess the species, a team of federal biologists reviewed hundreds of studies and conducted their own modeling, said Kelly Nail, a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service who helped lead the effort.

The primary drivers affecting the butterflies, the assessment found, were the loss and degradation of breeding, migratory and overwintering habitat; exposure to insecticides; and the effects of climate change.

The proposal punts on action related to pesticide use, asking for public comment on what measures are warranted.

Public comments can be submitted until March 12.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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