Western Monarch Call to Action

This Western Monarch Call to Action, led by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, aims to provide a set of rapid-response conservation actions that, if applied immediately, can help the western monarch population bounce back from its critically low overwintering size. We recognize and support longer-term recovery efforts in place for western monarchs such as the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) plan and Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) implementation plan. The goal of this call to action, however, is to identify actions that can be implemented in the short-term, to avoid a total collapse of the western monarch migration and set the stage for longer-term efforts to have time to start making a difference.

The five key steps to recovering the western monarch population in the short term are:

1. Protect and manage California overwintering sites

2. Restore breeding and migratory habitat in California

3. Protect monarchs and their habitat from pesticides

4. Protect, manage, and restore summer breeding and fall migration monarch habitat outside of California

5. Answer key research questions about how to best aid western monarch recovery

Read our overarching recommendations below⁠—which apply to everyone from land managers to individuals⁠—or click here to download the Call to Action as a PDF. You can also jump to actions that individuals can take to support western monarchs.