PROTECTIONS &
REGULATIONS
RECENT
DECLINES
Since the 1980s, the western monarch butterfly population has undergone significant decline. The causes of this loss are complex and not fully-understood, but are thought to include climate change, increased herbicide and insecticide use, loss of breeding and migratory habitat, degradation and destruction of overwintering sites, disease from the OE parasite, and other factors.
The drop in monarch numbers has resulted in international, federal, and state agencies granting certain designations and protections to the monarch butterfly to prevent further decline. These protections vary by agency and are subject to change. Below we explain the specific designations and protections given to the monarch butterfly by different agencies and organizations as of winter 2024.
INTER-
NATIONAL
In July 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the migratory monarch butterfly as an endangered species on its Red List of Threatened Species. This includes the western and eastern monarch butterfly populations in the United States. In December 2023, the IUCN downgraded their listing of the monarch from endangered to “vulnerable,” based on a change in the methods used to make the determination.
The IUCN is an international organization based in Switzerland that assesses species population trends and encourages conservation of nature. They have no regulatory authority and cannot provide any legal protections to the species. Their inclusion of the monarch butterfly on the Red List serves to bring attention to the need for conservation of the monarch butterfly, and to promote collaboration across nations and institutions.
For more information, see the IUCN’s Press Release on the July 2022 listing and Monarch Joint Venture’s December 2023 blog post on the revised status.
FEDERAL
In December 2024, The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed to list the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. A Section 4(d) rule is proposed with provisions to exempt certain activities that may result in "take" and incentivize conservation efforts. Federal protections will not go into effect until the final rule is issued.
More information on the monarch’s status and the listing decision can be found on the USFWS Monarch Butterfly web page.
STATE
The monarch butterfly is a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in the California State Wildlife Action Plan and is included on the Terrestrial and Vernal Pool Invertebrates of Conservation Priority list. It is not listed under the California Endangered Species Act.
Under California Fish and Game Code, it is not lawful to capture, possess, handle, kill, harm, or propagate monarch butterflies for scientific or educational purposes without a state-issued Scientific Collecting Permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. This includes raising monarch butterflies (captive rearing) or placing structures (such as a net or cage) over them in the wild.
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For more detailed information on state regulations on monarch handling, see this FAQ page from California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
LOCAL
The City of Pacific Grove Municipal Code includes protections of monarch butterflies by protecting trees in or near overwintering sites. Pruning and removal of “Monarch Butterfly Habitat Trees”, which are all trees in or within 100 yards of designated monarch sanctuaries, is prohibited during the months of October through April each year. Pruning or removal of Monarch Butterfly Habitat Trees outside of this time window requires a permit, even if the tree is diseased or dying.
See The City of Pacific Grove Public Forestry Division’s web page on Tree Permits and Section 12.20 of the Pacific Grove Municipal Code for more information.
