Monarchs Designated as Candidate Species Under the ESA

On December 15, 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that listing the monarch as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is warranted, but precluded by higher priority listing actions. The decision is the result of an extensive status review of the monarch that compiled and assessed the monarch’s current and future status. The monarch is now a candidate under the Endangered Species Act; they will review its status annually until a listing decision is made. See Assessing the Status of the Monarch Butterfly for more information.