Page 12 - aruba-today-20201216

A12 SCIENCE
Wednesday 16 december 2020

Feds to delay seeking legal protection for monarch butterfly

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) estimates the larger east-
— Federal officials on Tues- ern population declined
day declared the monarch from about 384 million in
butterfly "a candidate" for 1996 to a low of 14 million
threatened or endangered in 2013 before rebounding
status, but said no action somewhat, reaching about
would be taken for several 60 million last year.
years because of the many But the California-based
other species awaiting that western group dropped
designation. from about 1.2 million in
Environmentalists said de- 1997 to fewer than 30,000
laying that long could spell in 2019. Preliminary survey
disaster for the beloved results this fall have turned
black-and-orange butter- up only about 2,000, said
fly, once a common sight in Lori Nordstrom, the Fish and
backyard gardens, mead- Wildlife Service's assistant
ows and other landscapes regional director.
now seeing its population While such grim prospects
dwindling. qualify the monarch for
The monarch's status will listing, officials said the
be reviewed annually, said law allows delays when
Charlie Wooley, head of the agency has limited re-
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- sources and must focus on
vice's Great Lakes regional higher-priority cases under
office. Emergency action consideration.
could be taken earlier, but Species ahead in line might
plans now call for propos- In this June 2, 2019, file photo, a fresh monarch butterfly rests on a Swedish Ivy plant soon after be worse off, or courts
ing to list the monarch un- emerging in Washington. might have set deadlines
der the Endangered Spe- Associated Press for decisions on them.
cies Act in 2024 unless its The Great Lakes office,
situation improves enough vice Director Aurelia Skip- he said. "It has made a dif- of what the United Nations which is handling the mon-
to make the step unneces- with said in a statement. ference in the long-term describes as a worldwide arch case, is considering
sary. "However, before we can survival of monarchs and crisis threatening 1 million nine others with higher-
The proposal would be fol- propose listing, we must fo- helped other pollinators species — one of every priority status. They include
lowed by another year for cus resources on our high- that are potentially in trou- eight on Earth — with ex- the little brown bat, the
public comment and de- er-priority listing actions." ble." tinction because of climate plains spotted skunk, the Il-
velopment of a final rule. Scientists will continue mon- But advocacy groups say it change, development and linois chorus frog, the gold-
Listing would provide a itoring the butterfly's num- has compensated for only pollution. en-winged warbler, Bland-
number of legal protec- bers and the effectiveness a small fraction of the esti- Even so, the Trump admin- ing's turtle, the Mammoth
tions, including a require- of what Wooley described mated 165 million acres (67 istration has listed only 25 Springs crayfish, two fresh-
ment that federal agencies as perhaps the most wide- million hectares) of mon- species — fewer than any water mussels and a plant
consider effects on the but- spread grassroots cam- arch habitat — an area the since the act took effect in called Hall's bulrush.
terfly or its habitat before paign ever waged to save size of Texas — lost in the 1973. The Obama adminis- Advocacy groups said 47
allowing highway construc- an imperiled animal. past 20 years to develop- tration added 360. species have gone extinct
tion and other potentially Since 2014, when environ- ment or herbicide applica- Trump's team also has waiting to be listed.
damaging activities. mental groups petitioned tions in cropland. weakened protections for "Protection for monarchs is
Scientists estimate the to list the monarch, school "Monarchs are too impor- endangered and threat- needed — and warranted
monarch population in groups, garden clubs, gov- tant for us to just plant flow- ened species in its push for — now," said George Kim-
the eastern U.S. has fallen ernment agencies and ers on roadsides and hope deregulation. Among other brell, legal director for the
about 80% since the mid- others around the nation for the best," said Tierra changes, it limited consid- Center for Food Safety.
1990s, while the drop-off in have restored about 5.6 Curry, a senior scientist at eration of climate change's "The Biden administration
the western U.S. has been million acres (nearly 2.3 mil- the Center for Biological effects on animals when must follow the law and sci-
even steeper. lion hectares) of milkweed Diversity. "They need the evaluating whether they ence and protect them."
"We conducted an inten- plants on which monarchs comprehensive protection should be listed. Also this week, the Fish and
sive, thorough review using depend, Wooley said. They that comes only from the Global warming is one of Wildlife Service said the
a rigorous, transparent sci- lay eggs on the leaves, Endangered Species Act, the biggest dangers to the northern spotted owl, listed
ence-based process and which caterpillars eat, which would save them monarch. It contributes to as threatened in 1990, has
found that the monarch while adults gather nectar and so many other be- lengthening droughts and declined enough since
meets listing criteria under from the flowers. leaguered pollinators that worsening storms that kill then to justify downgrading
the Endangered Species The volunteer effort "has share their habitat." many during their annual to "endangered" — or in
Act," Fish and Wildlife Ser- been phenomenal to see," The monarch's plight is part migration. peril of extinction. But it also
About 90% of the world's was placed behind higher-
monarchs live in North priority cases.
America. Scientists mea- Nordstrom said the tim-
sure their abundance by ing of the announcements
the size of the areas they about the monarch and
occupy in Mexico and Cal- the spotted owl was coin-
ifornia, where they cluster cidental and did not rep-
during winter after flying resent a trend toward find-
thousands of miles from as ing species fit for listing yet
far away as Canada. putting them on a waiting
The Fish and Wildlife Service list.q