The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for listing as threatened, with a decision to be made in December 2020. The western population of monarchs has been less studied than the eastern population; however, recent literature has shown that the western population may have already passed the quasi-extinction threshold and is unlikely to recover. Research has shown that monarchs from Arizona migrate to both Mexico and California overwintering sites and may serve as a vital connection between the eastern and western populations. As a long-distance migratory species, monarch butterflies range widely, and require quality larval and adult food resources, as well as sheltering habitat for survival and successful migration. Effective management of such varied habitat resources requires coordination among a broad variety of land ownership and stewardship entities across the Southwest. Recognizing the need to encourage information sharing and collective action across these sectors, lead agencies for the monarch in Arizona initiated the Arizona Monarch Collaborative in 2019. We developed this statewide group to help coordinate monarch and pollinator actions in the state and work collaboratively to identify the highest priority actions
Results/Conclusions
The Collaborative was initiated with a statewide meeting in June of 2019 and is composed of over 35 organizations including state and federal agencies, tribes, non-profits, consultants, museums, nurseries, botanical gardens, utilities, and universities. Activities to-date have included developing the organizational structure, establishing regular information sharing, and developing an action plan that complements the strategies and actions outlined in the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (WAFWA’s) Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan. The Collaborative’s six-member steering committee interacts with five subcommittees, each with chairs and co-chairs: Outreach & Partnerships; Plant Materials; Research, Information, & Monitoring; Restoration; and Working Lands & Best Management Practices (BMPs). The second statewide meeting will occur in the late spring of 2020. The nascent Collaborative has functioned to open communication channels among organizations, establish state-specific conservation priorities, serve as a venue to disseminate important information, and allow for future coordination and collaboration for projects relating to monarch and pollinator conservation in the state. Additionally, as the first western state to form a statewide monarch working group, we hope to serve as an example for other western states in establishing statewide working groups.