For the third consecutive year, monarch populations have continued to spiral to an all time low. California coastal counts from winter 2020 estimated less than 2,000 overwintering monarchs on documented sites, a 99.9% decrease from the historic migratory population that once graced California coastlines. Primary reasons for population declines include a decrease in milkweed and nectar sources, habitat fragmentation, loss of overwintering sites, impacts of climate change and widespread use of pesticides.

Following a review for listing in December 2020 under the Endangered Species Act, USFWS declared that listing of monarchs is indeed “warranted but precluded by higher priority actions.” The US Fish and Wildlife Service has acknowledged that due to lack of resources, they are forced to focus their efforts on higher priority listings. Monarchs have been designated as a “candidate” for listing, which means it will receive an annual review for listing.