(Adam Mintzer/MNS)
By Adam Mintzer
WASHINGTON- To fight the rapid decline in the population of monarch butterflies, a new $3.2 million public-private partnership announced Monday aims to tackle the troubling environmental issue.
Monarch butterflies, known for their orange-and-black color, play a key role in educating elementary school science classes. However, since 1996 the monarch population has decreased by about 90 percent. As a pollinator, the decline of the monarch may indicate greater problems.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
The federal government will use $2 million to focus on habitat restoration for the monarchs. Restoration will focus on the area from Texas to Minnesota because the Corn Belt is key to monarch breeding as the butterflies migrate throughout North America.
Additional funds will be used to start the Monarch Conservation Fund, which will work to increase the monarch population and the resources they need to survive.
Milkweed is one of these key resources, and its destruction is one reason for the monarch’s decline.
“This plant is … where the monarch butterfly lays its eggs, and is the food source for the monarch butterfly caterpillar,” said Daniel Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Some organizations such as the organic food advocacy group Organic Consumers Association and the Center and the Center for Food Safety are pointing fingers at the agricultural company Monsanto for reducing milkweed. Monsanto develops and sells a chemical that helps farmers with weed control, including milkweed.
Monsanto previously announced its commitment to helping preserve monarch butterflies. The company placed an emphasis on finding areas outside of farmland to grow milkweed.
Pending research on the effects of pesticides on the butterflies, Collin O’Mara, president of the National Wildlife Federation, said pointing fingers at specific groups is not the solution.
“We need habitat, we need acres and acres of habitat,” O’Mara said.
In addition to restoring land in California and the Corn Belt, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services plan is to encourage schools and communities to plant their own milkweed patches.
“If we all work together…we can ensure that every American child has a change to experience these amazing monarchs in their backyard,” O’Mara said.
