AP Photo/Nic Coury, File
FILE - Monarch butterflies land on branches at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. On Thursday, July 21, 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said migrating monarch butterflies have moved closer to extinction in the past decade – prompting scientists to officially designate them as “endangered."Â
WASHINGTON (AP) — The monarch butterfly fluttered a step closer to extinction Thursday, as scientists put the iconic orange-and-black insect on the endangered list because of its fast dwindling numbers.
“It’s just a devastating decline,” said Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University who was not involved in the new listing. “This is one of the most recognizable butterflies in the world.”
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfly for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered” — two steps from extinct.
The group estimates that the population of monarch butterflies in North America has declined between 22% and 72% over 10 years, depending on the measurement method.
“What we’re worried about is the rate of decline,” said Nick Haddad, a conservation biologist at Michigan State University. “It’s very easy to imagine how very quickly this butterfly could become even more imperiled.”
Haddad, who was not directly involved in the listing, estimates that the population of monarch butterflies he studies in the eastern United States has declined between 85% and 95% since the 1990s.
In North America, millions of monarch butterflies undertake the longest migration of any insect species known to science.
After wintering in the mountains of central Mexico, the butterflies migrate to the north, breeding multiple generations along the way for thousands of miles. The offspring that reach southern Canada then begin the trip back to Mexico at the end of summer.
“It’s a true spectacle and incites such awe,” said Anna Walker, a conservation biologist at New Mexico BioPark Society, who was involved in determining the new listing.
A smaller group spends winters in coastal California, then disperses in spring and summer across several states west of the Rocky Mountains. This population has seen an even more precipitous decline than the eastern monarchs, although there was a small bounce back last winter.
Emma Pelton of the nonprofit Xerces Society, which monitors the western butterflies, said the butterflies are imperiled by loss of habitat and increased use of herbicides and pesticides for agriculture, as well as climate change.
“There are things people can do to help,” she said, including planting milkweed, a plant that the caterpillars depend upon.
Nonmigratory monarch butterflies in Central and South America were not designated as endangered.
The United States has not listed monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act, but several environmental groups believe it should be listed.
The international union also announced new estimates for the global population of tigers, which are 40% higher than the most recent estimates from 2015.
AP Photo/Bikas Das, File
FILE - A Royal Bengal tiger rests at its enclosure at the Alipore zoo in Kolkata, India, Monday, July 29, 2019.Â
The new figures, of between 3,726 and 5,578 wild tigers worldwide, reflect better methods for counting tigers and, potentially, an increase in their overall numbers, said Dale Miquelle, coordinator for the nonprofit Wildlife Conservation Society’s tiger program.
In the past decade, tiger populations have increased in Nepal, northern China and perhaps in India, while tigers have disappeared entirely from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, said Miquelle. They remain designated as endangered.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Aaron Burden, Unsplash
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been petitioned to determine the endangered status of monarch butterflies, which pollinate wildflowers that support ecosystems.
Aaron Burden, Unsplash
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been petitioned to determine the endangered status of monarch butterflies, which pollinate wildflowers that support ecosystems.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP/Getty Images
The tree from which wine corks come is home to endangered species like the Iberian lynx and Iberian Imperial Eagle, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. The industry that makes wine corks is environmentally sustainable and provides a home for these creatures, but the rise in artificial wine corks threatens the trees and the shelter they create. While the trees themselves aren’t endangered, threats to the cork industry threaten the endangered species that call these trees home.
Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP/Getty Images
The tree from which wine corks come is home to endangered species like the Iberian lynx and Iberian Imperial Eagle, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. The industry that makes wine corks is environmentally sustainable and provides a home for these creatures, but the rise in artificial wine corks threatens the trees and the shelter they create. While the trees themselves aren’t endangered, threats to the cork industry threaten the endangered species that call these trees home.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
James Wainscoat, Unsplash
Many bat species consume insects, including agricultural pests. Many also pollinate plants and disperse seeds. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists 24 bat species as critically endangered, three as endangered and 104 as vulnerable.
James Wainscoat, Unsplash
Many bat species consume insects, including agricultural pests. Many also pollinate plants and disperse seeds. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists 24 bat species as critically endangered, three as endangered and 104 as vulnerable.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Jim Abernethy/Barcroft
As a top predator, sharks maintain population levels in their environment. Shark populations are threatened by overfishing and bycatch (being caught accidentally by fishers fishing for other species). Scalloped and great hammerhead sharks are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Jim Abernethy/Barcroft
As a top predator, sharks maintain population levels in their environment. Shark populations are threatened by overfishing and bycatch (being caught accidentally by fishers fishing for other species). Scalloped and great hammerhead sharks are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Between $235 billion and $577 billion in annual food production relies on pollinators like bees. Colony collapse disorder and pesticides threaten bee populations, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Although many species of bees are not officially endangered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added seven species of bees native to Hawaii to the endangered species list in 2016.
Between $235 billion and $577 billion in annual food production relies on pollinators like bees. Colony collapse disorder and pesticides threaten bee populations, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Although many species of bees are not officially endangered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added seven species of bees native to Hawaii to the endangered species list in 2016.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Yuri Smityuk/TASS
Many large whales serve their ecosystem by managing populations and distributing nutrients by feeding deep in the ocean and disposing of waste closer to the surface, according to the University of Vermont. Six of the 13 great whale species are listed as endangered.
Yuri Smityuk/TASS
Many large whales serve their ecosystem by managing populations and distributing nutrients by feeding deep in the ocean and disposing of waste closer to the surface, according to the University of Vermont. Six of the 13 great whale species are listed as endangered.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images for Lumix
Cacti are an important source of food and water to desert animals. Illegal collection of seeds and plants threatens cacti, and so does habitat loss. The IUCN lists 25 species of cacti as endangered and 27 as critically endangered.
Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images for Lumix
Cacti are an important source of food and water to desert animals. Illegal collection of seeds and plants threatens cacti, and so does habitat loss. The IUCN lists 25 species of cacti as endangered and 27 as critically endangered.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Ye Aung Thu/AFP
The African teak is a tree that grows up to about 50 yards tall and is used for boat building, joinery, flooring and decoration, according to WWF. It is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Ye Aung Thu/AFP
The African teak is a tree that grows up to about 50 yards tall and is used for boat building, joinery, flooring and decoration, according to WWF. It is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Amy Reed, Unsplash
Gorillas are important to biodiversity, spreading seeds of the fruit they eat as they roam through large areas. All subspecies of gorilla are considered either endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN.
Amy Reed, Unsplash
Gorillas are important to biodiversity, spreading seeds of the fruit they eat as they roam through large areas. All subspecies of gorilla are considered either endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Unsplash
There are 22 coral species listed as threatened and three listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Coral reefs not only provide habitats for an entire ecosystem, but they also protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage and provide nutrients to marine life.
Unsplash
There are 22 coral species listed as threatened and three listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Coral reefs not only provide habitats for an entire ecosystem, but they also protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage and provide nutrients to marine life.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
David McNew/Getty Images
Sea otters are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are considered vital to their ecosystem, partially because they eat sea urchins, which would otherwise destroy kelp forests, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
David McNew/Getty Images
Sea otters are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are considered vital to their ecosystem, partially because they eat sea urchins, which would otherwise destroy kelp forests, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Carl Court/Getty Images
Tuna is a highly commercially valuable fish. Some species, particularly the endangered bluefin tuna, have been hit hard by overfishing.
Carl Court/Getty Images
Tuna is a highly commercially valuable fish. Some species, particularly the endangered bluefin tuna, have been hit hard by overfishing.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Unsplash
At the top of the food pyramid in the arctic, polar bears play an important role in managing marine populations. Their International Union for Conservation of Nature status is vulnerable, one step above endangered.
Unsplash
At the top of the food pyramid in the arctic, polar bears play an important role in managing marine populations. Their International Union for Conservation of Nature status is vulnerable, one step above endangered.
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Owl habitat cuts by Trump appointees used ‘faulty’ science
Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images
Similar to gorillas, orangutans improve biodiversity by spreading seeds of fruit they eat. The Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered great ape, with no more than 800 alive, according to the WWF.
Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images
Similar to gorillas, orangutans improve biodiversity by spreading seeds of fruit they eat. The Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered great ape, with no more than 800 alive, according to the WWF.
