Credit: Courtesy of Justin DoCanto | Unsplashed

After the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service precluded monarch butterflies from being listed under the Endangered Species Act, Rep. Salud Carbajal wrote to the service’s deputy director to urge substantial investments in monarch conservation efforts.

In December 2020 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to keep monarchs off the list — despite their eligibility — because higher priority species made the list first. Monarchs were put on a waiting list that still denied them immediate protection. 

Carbajal was joined by Rep. Jimmy Panetta and Sen. Jeff Merkley in his push to protect monarchs.

“If the monarch’s precipitous decline continues, the service must make prompt use of its emergency listing procedure to ensure its survival,” the lawmakers wrote. “To ensure the monarch does not become the 48th species to go extinct while on the candidate list, we urge the Service to make substantial investments in bold conservation actions that not only prevent the butterfly from further decline but also ensure long-term population stability.”

The letter garnered support from 43 conservation organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity. To read the full letter, click here. 

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