Congress Urged to Spend $100 Million to Save Monarch Butterflies
Congress Urged to Spend $100 Million to Save Monarch Butterflies Center for Biological Diversity
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Conservation Organizations Call on Congress to Save Monarch Butterflies
Introduction
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity, along with over 20 other conservation organizations, called on Congress today to provide more than $100 million per year for the conservation of monarch butterflies to help stem their rapid population decline and prevent extinction.
The Decline of Monarch Butterflies
The latest annual count for the eastern monarch butterfly population was the second-lowest ever recorded. The population declined by nearly 60% from the previous year and is only 1/6 of the size needed to be out of the danger zone of migratory collapse. The western population of monarchs, which famously winters on the California coast each year, remains at just 5% of what it once was.
The Importance of Saving Monarchs
“More than America’s most beloved butterfly, the monarch is a symbol of wonder, transformation and resilience,” said Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This may be Congress’ last chance to save monarchs before they become the face of the extinction crisis.”
Threats to Monarch Butterflies
Monarch butterflies have been moving towards extinction because of landscape-scale threats from pesticides, development, and habitat loss in the United States. The loss of overwintering habitat in Mexico is also an existential threat to the monarchs’ future. The oyamel fir stands where the eastern population of monarchs roost are threatened by illegal logging, land conversion for farming, and climate change.
Conservation Efforts
One of today’s letters urges Congress to spend $100 million per year to restore 1 million acres of milkweed and pollinator habitat in the U.S. A second letter calls on Congress to increase funding for the U.S. Forest Service’s International Program to ramp up its efforts in Mexico to combat illegal logging and provide additional capacity for local communities to sustainably manage the monarchs’ overwintering habitat.
The Need for Action
“The status quo of paltry funding and half-baked policies doesn’t work,” said Kurose. “If we let monarchs go extinct when we could have saved them, that’s a moral failure on our part.”
Endangered Species Act Protection
Monarch butterflies are currently on the candidate waiting list for Endangered Species Act protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said it would make a final listing determination by December 2024.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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SDG 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
- Indicator: Population decline of monarch butterflies.
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SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
- Indicator: Threats to monarch butterflies from climate change.
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SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- Indicator: Restoration of milkweed and pollinator habitat to support monarch butterflies.
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SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
- Indicator: Threats to monarch butterflies from pesticides.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. | Population decline of monarch butterflies. |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning. | Threats to monarch butterflies from climate change. |
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Restoration of milkweed and pollinator habitat to support monarch butterflies. |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. | Threats to monarch butterflies from pesticides. |
Analysis
The article highlights the rapid population decline and potential extinction of monarch butterflies. Based on the content of the article, the following SDGs, targets, and indicators can be identified:
1. SDG 15: Life on Land
The conservation of monarch butterflies is directly connected to SDG 15, which aims to protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The target under this SDG that can be identified is Target 15.5, which calls for urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats and halt the loss of biodiversity. The indicator for this target is the population decline of monarch butterflies, as mentioned in the article.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
The threats to monarch butterflies from climate change make SDG 13 relevant. SDG 13 focuses on climate action and improving education and awareness about climate change mitigation and adaptation. The specific target that can be identified is Target 13.3, which emphasizes the need to enhance capacity on climate change adaptation and early warning. The indicator for this target is the mention of threats to monarch butterflies from climate change in the article.
3. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
The restoration of milkweed and pollinator habitat to support monarch butterflies aligns with SDG 2, which aims to ensure sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices. The target under this SDG that can be identified is Target 2.4, which calls for the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices and the improvement of land and soil quality. The indicator for this target is the restoration of milkweed and pollinator habitat mentioned in the article.
4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
The threats to monarch butterflies from pesticides relate to SDG 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production. SDG 12 aims to achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and reduce their release to minimize adverse impacts on the environment. The target that can be identified is Target 12.4, which calls for the environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes. The indicator for this target is the mention of threats to monarch butterflies from pesticides in the article.
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Fuente: biologicaldiversity.org
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