Monach Butterflies

The report summarizes the program goals, methodology and habitat acres established through 2022. The data shows that since 2015, more than 690,000 acres of monarch butterfly habitat have been established across the state. Those established acres represent 88 percent of the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium strategy low-end goal to reach 790,000 acres by 2038.

“This report demonstrates how we are making significant progress towards our overall target,” said Daniel Robison, holder of the endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. “Through the combined efforts of our members and partners, we are working to engage Iowans about the importance of monarch butterflies for our state and to make a positive difference on the landscape. This is a remarkable and sustained effort by all the consortium members.”

The report also covers how specific land use sectors are progressing in reaching their habitat goals. One notable achievement is that the Public Land sector — state, county and federal land — has surpassed both its low- and high-end goals for habitat acreage and milkweed stem abundance. Agriculture has also made significant contributions. It is 96 percent of the way toward its low-end acreage goal and 39 percent of the way toward reaching its low-end milkweed goal. Road Right-of-Way and Urban sectors both still have progress to make before reaching sector goals. Moving forward, the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium is hoping to support more urban habitat establishment as it continues working toward its habitat establishment goals.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon said, “This report highlights the tremendous work we have made but also underscores the need for continued conservation efforts by all stakeholders. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is proud of its partnerships with private landowners, conservation organizations, and state and local agencies that contribute to monarch conservation in Iowa.”

Habitat establishment is self-reported by individuals and organizations through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service managed Monarch Conservation Database, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program and Natural Resources Conservation Service Programs, and Habi Tally.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said, “With the acceleration of soil conservation and water quality work increasing across Iowa, we also look for ways to integrate wildlife habitat into our projects, especially for monarchs and other essential pollinators. Iowa continues to break records in conservation adoption, but this work is far from finished. We will continue to collaborate with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium and other public and private partners to do even more in the years ahead. I invite all Iowans to find ways to expand pollinator habitat across our diverse landscapes while also enhancing soil health and protecting our water quality in our communities.”

The Monarch Conservation Effort Dashboards have also been updated with the newest data through 2022. That tool allows anyone to interact with data at the state and county level. The interactive Iowa heat map allows users to click on a county and see a chart of the county’s cumulative monarch habitat acreage broken down by sector. Additional maps on milkweed stem establishment and yearly trends can be found linked on the left-hand side of the dashboard.

The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium comprises members and partners from 50 organizations, including agricultural and conservation associations, agribusiness and utility companies, universities and state and federal agencies. Visit monarch.ent.iastate.edu/iowa-monarch-conservation-strategy for more information.