UIC-led monarch butterfly conservation effort surpasses 100 partners nationwide

The University of Illinois Chicago has reached a major milestone in its nationwide monarch conservation effort, with more than 100 energy and transportation partners now participating in a voluntary program to protect and enhance monarch butterfly habitat.

Approximately 1.3 million acres across 47 states are now being managed as monarch habitat through current partnership commitments that bring together industry, state agencies and government entities to address habitat loss on a national scale.

The Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for the Monarch Butterfly on Energy and Transportation Lands, known as the Monarch CCAA, is among the largest conservation efforts identified in the Monarch Species Status Assessment conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Monarch butterflies and other pollinators continue to face widespread habitat loss across much of their range. The Monarch CCAA leverages the massive footprint of energy and transportation rights-of-way and lands already maintained for infrastructure operations, such as land around power lines and along roadways, to support habitat creation and connectivity.

Since its establishment in 2020, the Monarch CCAA has enrolled partners that have collected habitat data from more than 15,000 monitoring locations.

"By combining voluntary participation, science-based habitat management and consistent monitoring, the program demonstrates how working landscapes can play a meaningful role in supporting monarch butterflies and other pollinators while maintaining essential infrastructure," said Megan Petraitis, senior program manager of conservation agreements at UIC's Energy Resources Center.

Administered by the Energy Resources Center, the Monarch CCAA is a first-of-its-kind agreement that enables energy and transportation organizations to voluntarily adopt conservation measures that benefit the monarch butterfly while receiving regulatory assurances should the species be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Under the Monarch CCAA, these regulatory assurances guarantee that, if the monarch butterfly is listed as threatened or endangered, the Fish and Wildlife Service will not require additional conservation measures or impose further land, water or resource-use restrictions beyond those already agreed upon in the agreement.

Partners in the Monarch CCAA commit to implementing and managing conservation practices, such as planting and seeding milkweed - monarchs' primary food source - and flowering plants, targeted herbicide treatments of problematic or invasive species, limiting mowing to avoid harming monarchs and other measures for managing pollinator-friendly vegetation on lands for pipelines, electric transmission, roads and other transportation.

"Reaching the 100-application milestone for the Monarch CCAA is a powerful testament to what voluntary conservation can achieve," said Will Meeks, Midwest regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Energy and transportation partners across the country are demonstrating exceptional leadership by enrolling in this agreement and committing to meaningful, on-the-ground habitat improvements. These sectors continue to drive a growing national commitment to safeguarding monarchs, pollinators and the ecosystems that sustain them."

As the Monarch CCAA continues to grow, UIC and its partners are focused on expanding conservation outcomes across energy and transportation lands nationwide.

The Fish and Wildlife Service approved a similar agreement for 11 at-risk bumblebee species on May 1, 2026, and it is open for enrollment. The Bumble Bee Conservation Benefit Agreement builds on the success of the Monarch CCAA by expanding regulatory coverage and providing additional conservation benefits for declining bumblebee populations.

Contact

Brian Flood
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