WASHINGTON, D.C. — An increase in the eastern monarch butterfly population is uplifting news, but the species needs urgent local and federal action to continue this trajectory and stave off future declines. Dedicated measures, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s proposal to list the monarch as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, will help sustain this increase and ensure the population heads toward stability.

 An annual survey of eastern monarchs overwintering in central Mexico found the butterflies occupied an estimated 4.42 acres of forest during the winter of 2024 to 2025, according to  World Wildlife Fund-Mexico. The population size nearly doubled compared to the previous winter, when monarchs occupied 2.2 acres. To achieve a stable population, the eastern monarch butterfly would need to occupy nearly 15 acres of forest.

“The latest population numbers of the eastern monarch are encouraging news, but we cannot lose focus or the hard-fought momentum we’ve gained in our efforts to save the monarch butterfly,” said Dr. Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, senior scientist for the National Wildlife Federation. “Listing the monarch as threatened under the Endangered Species Act provides us with the tailored conservation methods needed to prioritize protection for overwintering habitat and restoration of these critical breeding grounds. With these protections in place, we fight for a future where we begin to see these numbers consistently increase and the species restored to its once magnificent numbers.” 

The latest species status assessment states that the eastern monarch population's extinction probability ranges from 48 percent to 69 percent within the next 60 years. The predictions for the western monarch are even more dire, with a 98 percent to 99 percent probability of extinction.

The recovery of the monarch and other pollinators is a collective, coordinated effort that starts at home and in our communities. Through the National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Habitats, individuals, schools, community groups, and local governments can all create native habitats in urban and suburban areas to increase habitat connectivity and provide stepping stones for the monarchs during their migration. Community-based monarch conservation work can be accomplished through NWF’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge tri-national program.