Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Monarchs at risk

Conserving monarch butterfly habitat across North America

Katie Moulton
International Programs Office
January 16, 2025

Hundreds of orange and black monarch butterflies rest on a tree branch.
Overwintering monarchs. On December 10, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their proposed rule to list the Monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Monarchs travel thousands of miles each year, but they can’t do it without healthy habitats along the way. From the "Monarch Highway" in the U.S. to the forests of Mexico, Forest Service International Programs is restoring vital habitat for these iconic pollinators. (Photo courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture/Wendy Caldwell)

On December 10, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their proposed rule to list the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Efforts to protect these iconic pollinators have never been more urgent as monarch migration is increasingly at risk due to habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use.

The familiar vibrant orange and black butterflies are more than just pollinators— they are renowned for their incredible multi-generational migration, traveling thousands of miles from southern Canada and east of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. to their overwintering grounds in Central Mexico. Monarchs west of the Rockies will fly to the Pacific Coast to spend their winters in groves of trees. Monarchs cannot survive cold climates and will use environmental cues to know when to relocate for the winter. Using air currents and thermals they travel impressive distances. They are the only butterflies known to make two-way migrations — like birds do —where the offspring of overwintering monarchs will continue the cyclical journey in search of milkweed. Monarchs are among the most recognizable butterflies in North America, and their journeys have long captivated the imaginations of children, scientists and nature enthusiasts.

The International Programs Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has been supporting monarch conservation efforts across North America for the past 25 years. The agency works with conservation organizations, universities, schools and communities to maintain significant and healthy habitat corridors across the monarch breeding and overwintering range. Our efforts maximize habitat options for monarchs in a changing climate and support their survival, while providing opportunities for the public to get involved.

A black, white, and yellow striped caterpillar framed in a circle of eaten green leaf.
Monarch caterpillar eating milkweed. Small efforts can make a difference for monarchs. Plant milkweed, join a citizen science project, teach others about monarchs. (Photo courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture/Ariana Loehr)

Life is a flyway

Forest Service International Programs also partners with U.S. government agencies such as the the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, which manages 8.8 million acres of land in the United States. The Forest Service works with the DoD Legacy Resource Management Program and the Northern Command, to support flyway-level conservation, think butterfly migration highways, in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Additionally, International Programs works with the U.S. Agency for International Development to support projects that focus on people-based approaches to conservation and support livelihoods at the community level in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve and along the flyway in Mexico.

Monarchs depend on milkweed for reproduction as it is their host plant that they lay eggs on, but habitat loss has reduced its availability. To address this, Forest Service International Programs works with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts and other partners to protect key overwintering sites in California and enhance breeding habitats in the West. Along the Eastern Flyway, International Programs supports the Monarch Joint Venture’s habitat restoration work with a focus along the I-35 corridor, also known as the “Monarch Highway,” as well as throughout the Eastern states.

An aerial image of two people in white hats surveying a grassy field.
Community scientists assess monarch habitat. (Photo courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture/Kiley Friedrich)

Advancing research and monitoring

To inform conservation strategies, International Programs supports research initiatives like Monarch Joint Venture’s Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program, which tracks population trends and habitat use, and the Xerces’ Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper which help us understand where milkweed appears on the landscape. In collaboration with James Madison University, International Programs is studying the impact of radio transmitters that are placed on the underside of the monarch's abdomen, whose signals can then be picked up by Motus towers to determine if the technology can be broadly used for improved understanding of western monarch migration patterns. Meanwhile, a comprehensive review of research on Eastern monarchs is underway to guide future management efforts.

Education and community engagement are central to International Program’s approach. Programs like the Monarch Joint Venture’s North American Monarch Institute equips teachers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada with tools to incorporate monarch conservation into their classrooms. Citizen science projects, supported by International Programs and partners like Xerces and the Monarch Joint Venture’s, engage communities in monitoring and protecting local monarch habitats.

A child in a grey sweatshirt wears life size butterfly wings, a black mask depicting monarch butterflies, a headband, and looks at a monarch butterfly with its wings open on his right hand.
Forest Service International Programs and partners use migratory monarchs to deliver conservation messages and foster awareness and participation in other areas, such as planting trees and protecting local water resources. The goal is to energize leaders from the household to the neighborhood. (Photo credit: USDA Forest Service/Michael Rizo)

Collaborating across borders

In Mexico, where monarchs overwinter, International Programs works with nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, universities, and community organizations to restore habitats and involve local residents and educators in conservation activities. These efforts include projects in and around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve as well as along the broader migration corridor.

Monarch butterflies are more than just pollinators; they are a natural phenomenon that spark the curiosity of countless North Americans. Through partnerships, research, and education, the Forest Service International Programs and its collaborators are working to ensure that this incredible migration continues to inspire for generations to come.

Close up of an orange, black and white butterfly with antennae on a light purple plant.
Monarch butterfly feeds on liatris. (Photo courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture/Kiley Friedrich)

https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/features/monarchs-risk