Officials from the United States’ **wildlife** announced the expansion of **federal protection** for **monarch butterflies** after years of [warnings about the decline of their populations](https://noticiasambientales.com/ciencia/buscan-salvar-a-las-mariposas-monarca-de-los-efectos-del-calentamiento-global/) and the risk of not surviving **climate change**.
The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to add the butterfly to the **endangered species list** by the end of next year.
## The Importance of Protecting the Monarch Butterfly
Martha Williams, FWS director, emphasized that the monarch butterfly is appreciated throughout North America for its fascinating **life cycle**. Despite its fragility, the butterfly is remarkably resilient.
The Endangered Species Act provides **broad protections** to species listed as **endangered or threatened**, prohibiting their importation, exportation, possession, transportation, or killing.
The proposal for the monarch would generally **prohibit killing or transporting the butterfly**. However, individuals and farmers could still remove milkweed, a **key food source** for monarch caterpillars, from their gardens and fields.
Incidental deaths resulting from vehicle collisions would also be allowed, as well as the **use of butterflies for educational purposes**.
The proposal would designate 1,779 acres in seven coastal counties of **California** as critical habitat for the butterfly, prohibiting the destruction or **modification of that habitat** by state agencies.
## The Path to Formal Protection
The Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups requested in 2014 that the monarch butterfly be listed as a threatened species. Following a review and legal agreement, the FWS will decide on the inclusion by December 2025.
Monarch populations are declining [due to warmer temperatures](https://noticiasambientales.com/medio-ambiente/la-temperatura-del-planeta-este-ano-rompera-un-record-con-mas-de-15/), agricultural expansion, and herbicides that hinder the **growth of milkweed**.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has warned that climate change could displace milkweed towards the poles, forcing monarchs to migrate longer distances and **affect their reproduction**.
The FWS announcement initiates a 90-day public discussion period to decide on the inclusion of the butterfly on the endangered species list.
## Monarch Conservation
Commitment to voluntary conservation by farmers and organizations is key to **maintaining monarch habitats**.
Formal inclusion as a threatened species could bring restrictions and challenges, but it also serves as a warning signal about the need to better care for the **shared environment**.
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