The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) may be the most well-known butterfly in the world. The migrations of monarch butterflies in North America to overwintering sites in Mexico and California are among the most spectacular and unusual of the world’s natural events. However, habitat loss and degradation pose threats to both the eastern and western migratory populations of North American monarchs throughout their annual cycle of breeding, migrating and overwintering. The decline of the migratory phenomenon is certain unless these threats are addressed.
Monarchs depend upon a wide range of habitats in Canada, the United States and Mexico, thus conservation of their migratory phenomenon requires trilateral cooperation. The North American Monarch Conservation Plan (NAMCP) is intended to provide a long-term cooperative agenda for conservation of the monarch butterfly.
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Publication – North American Monarch Conservation Plan