Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’
The eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus plexippus ) has declined by >80% within the last two decades. One possible cause of this decline is the loss of ≥1.3 billion stems of milkweed ( Asclepias spp.), which monarchs require for reproduction. In an effort to res...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2017-01-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7637 |
| _version_ | 1797748204994822144 |
|---|---|
| author | Wayne E Thogmartin Laura López-Hoffman Jason Rohweder Jay Diffendorfer Ryan Drum Darius Semmens Scott Black Iris Caldwell Donita Cotter Pauline Drobney Laura L Jackson Michael Gale Doug Helmers Steve Hilburger Elizabeth Howard Karen Oberhauser John Pleasants Brice Semmens Orley Taylor Patrick Ward Jake F Weltzin Ruscena Wiederholt |
| author_facet | Wayne E Thogmartin Laura López-Hoffman Jason Rohweder Jay Diffendorfer Ryan Drum Darius Semmens Scott Black Iris Caldwell Donita Cotter Pauline Drobney Laura L Jackson Michael Gale Doug Helmers Steve Hilburger Elizabeth Howard Karen Oberhauser John Pleasants Brice Semmens Orley Taylor Patrick Ward Jake F Weltzin Ruscena Wiederholt |
| author_sort | Wayne E Thogmartin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus plexippus ) has declined by >80% within the last two decades. One possible cause of this decline is the loss of ≥1.3 billion stems of milkweed ( Asclepias spp.), which monarchs require for reproduction. In an effort to restore monarchs to a population goal established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and adopted by Mexico, Canada, and the US, we developed scenarios for amending the Midwestern US landscape with milkweed. Scenarios for milkweed restoration were developed for protected area grasslands, Conservation Reserve Program land, powerline, rail and roadside rights of way, urban/suburban lands, and land in agricultural production. Agricultural land was further divided into productive and marginal cropland. We elicited expert opinion as to the biological potential (in stems per acre) for lands in these individual sectors to support milkweed restoration and the likely adoption (probability) of management practices necessary for affecting restoration. Sixteen of 218 scenarios we developed for restoring milkweed to the Midwestern US were at levels (>1.3 billion new stems) necessary to reach the monarch population goal. One of these scenarios would convert all marginal agriculture to conserved status. The other 15 scenarios converted half of marginal agriculture (730 million stems), with remaining stems contributed by other societal sectors. Scenarios without substantive agricultural participation were insufficient for attaining the population goal. Agricultural lands are essential to reaching restoration targets because they occupy 77% of all potential monarch habitat. Barring fundamental changes to policy, innovative application of economic tools such as habitat exchanges may provide sufficient resources to tip the balance of the agro-ecological landscape toward a setting conducive to both robust agricultural production and reduced imperilment of the migratory monarch butterfly. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:01:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-56928cd3f32f4a4c8117ec8272a91fc2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:01:34Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-56928cd3f32f4a4c8117ec8272a91fc22023-08-09T14:34:56ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262017-01-0112707400510.1088/1748-9326/aa7637Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’Wayne E Thogmartin0Laura López-Hoffman1Jason Rohweder2Jay Diffendorfer3Ryan Drum4Darius Semmens5Scott Black6Iris Caldwell7Donita Cotter8Pauline Drobney9Laura L Jackson10Michael Gale11Doug Helmers12Steve Hilburger13Elizabeth Howard14Karen Oberhauser15John Pleasants16Brice Semmens17Orley Taylor18Patrick Ward19Jake F Weltzin20Ruscena Wiederholt21US Geological Survey , Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603, United States of America; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources and Environment and Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy , Tucson, AZ 85721, United States of AmericaUS Geological Survey , Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603, United States of AmericaUS Geological Survey , Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver Federal Center, Bldg 25, room 1719, MS 980, Denver, CO 80225, United States of AmericaUS Fish and Wildlife Service, Midwest Region , 5600 American Blvd W, Suite 990, Bloomington, MN 55437-1458, United States of AmericaUS Geological Survey , Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, P.O. Box 25046, MS-980, Denver, CO 80225-0046, United States of AmericaThe Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation , 628 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232, United States of AmericaEnergy Resources Center , University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States of AmericaUS Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System , Division of Natural Resources and Conservation Planning, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: NWRS, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, United States of AmericaUS Fish and Wildlife Service , R3 Division of Biological Resources, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, PO Box 399, 9981 Pacific Ave., Prairie City, IA 50228, United States of AmericaUniversity of Northern Iowa, Tallgrass Prairie Center , Cedar Falls, IA 50614, United States of AmericaUS Fish and Wildlife Service , R3 Division of Biological Resources, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, PO Box 399, 9981 Pacific Ave., Prairie City, IA 50228, United States of AmericaUS Fish and Wildlife Service , Iowa Private Lands Office, PO Box 399, 9981 Pacific Street, Prairie City, IA 50228, United States of AmericaUS Geological Survey , Ecosystems Mission Area, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr., Mail Stop 301, Reston, VA 20192, United States of AmericaJourney North , 19130 Highland Ave., Wayzata, MN 55391, United States of AmericaUniversity of Minnesota, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology , 135 Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States of AmericaIowa State University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology , Ames, IA 50014, United States of AmericaUniversity of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography , 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202, United States of AmericaUniversity of Kansas, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology , 7005 Haworth Hall, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045-7534, United States of AmericaUS Fish and Wildlife Service, Inventory and Monitoring, National Wildlife Refuge System , 1201 Oakridge Dr. Suite 320, Fort Collins, CO 80525, United States of AmericaUS Geological Survey , Status and Trends Program and USA National Phenology Network, USA-NPN National Coordinating Office, 1311 East 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States of AmericaSchool of Natural Resources and the Environment , University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States of AmericaThe eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus plexippus ) has declined by >80% within the last two decades. One possible cause of this decline is the loss of ≥1.3 billion stems of milkweed ( Asclepias spp.), which monarchs require for reproduction. In an effort to restore monarchs to a population goal established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and adopted by Mexico, Canada, and the US, we developed scenarios for amending the Midwestern US landscape with milkweed. Scenarios for milkweed restoration were developed for protected area grasslands, Conservation Reserve Program land, powerline, rail and roadside rights of way, urban/suburban lands, and land in agricultural production. Agricultural land was further divided into productive and marginal cropland. We elicited expert opinion as to the biological potential (in stems per acre) for lands in these individual sectors to support milkweed restoration and the likely adoption (probability) of management practices necessary for affecting restoration. Sixteen of 218 scenarios we developed for restoring milkweed to the Midwestern US were at levels (>1.3 billion new stems) necessary to reach the monarch population goal. One of these scenarios would convert all marginal agriculture to conserved status. The other 15 scenarios converted half of marginal agriculture (730 million stems), with remaining stems contributed by other societal sectors. Scenarios without substantive agricultural participation were insufficient for attaining the population goal. Agricultural lands are essential to reaching restoration targets because they occupy 77% of all potential monarch habitat. Barring fundamental changes to policy, innovative application of economic tools such as habitat exchanges may provide sufficient resources to tip the balance of the agro-ecological landscape toward a setting conducive to both robust agricultural production and reduced imperilment of the migratory monarch butterfly.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7637agricultureAsclepias syriacaconservation designDanaus plexippusglyphosatemilkweed |
| spellingShingle | Wayne E Thogmartin Laura López-Hoffman Jason Rohweder Jay Diffendorfer Ryan Drum Darius Semmens Scott Black Iris Caldwell Donita Cotter Pauline Drobney Laura L Jackson Michael Gale Doug Helmers Steve Hilburger Elizabeth Howard Karen Oberhauser John Pleasants Brice Semmens Orley Taylor Patrick Ward Jake F Weltzin Ruscena Wiederholt Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’ Environmental Research Letters agriculture Asclepias syriaca conservation design Danaus plexippus glyphosate milkweed |
| title | Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’ |
| title_full | Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’ |
| title_fullStr | Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’ |
| title_full_unstemmed | Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’ |
| title_short | Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’ |
| title_sort | restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the midwestern us all hands on deck |
| topic | agriculture Asclepias syriaca conservation design Danaus plexippus glyphosate milkweed |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7637 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wayneethogmartin restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT lauralopezhoffman restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT jasonrohweder restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT jaydiffendorfer restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT ryandrum restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT dariussemmens restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT scottblack restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT iriscaldwell restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT donitacotter restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT paulinedrobney restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT lauraljackson restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT michaelgale restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT doughelmers restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT stevehilburger restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT elizabethhoward restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT karenoberhauser restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT johnpleasants restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT bricesemmens restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT orleytaylor restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT patrickward restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT jakefweltzin restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck AT ruscenawiederholt restoringmonarchbutterflyhabitatinthemidwesternusallhandsondeck |