Monarch Collaborative Unveils Principles, Resources in Effort to Support Expanded Monarch Habitat in Agricultural Landscapes
KEYSTONE, CO, May 2, 2016 — The Monarch Collaborative, a diverse and dedicated group of organizations working to support a sustainable population of monarch butterflies, unveiled today its official principles and resource list. These documents will provide the Monarch Collaborative’s members and others with essential guidance on ways to strengthen monarch habitat in agricultural landscapes.
“Farmers, agricultural producers, and the conservation community have a key role to play to help strengthen monarch populations and habitat,” said Wayne Fredericks, Director of the American Soybean Association. “The Monarch Collaborative is making important progress on this effort. These principles and resources will help guide our ongoing work to implement strategies to support monarchs in agricultural landscapes.”
“The Monarch Collaborative is making important progress toward identifying and implementing collaborative approaches to establish monarch butterfly habitat,” said Caydee Savinelli, Pollinator & IPM Stewardship Lead, Syngenta. “These documents, developed by the members of the Monarch Collaborative, form the bedrock of our work to achieve a sustainable population of monarch butterflies.”
“Our experience has been that, absent regulatory disincentives, individuals and business that work and manage private land are largely willing to invest in wildlife habitat,” said Alex Echols, Special Projects Consultant for Sand County Foundation. “The technical assistance and other tools under development by the Monarch Collaborative will be useful resources for those private land owners and managers.”
The Monarch Collaborative’s principles document lays out a series of considerations for enhancing monarch habitat in agricultural landscapes, ranging from site selection to establishing milkweed — a plant uniquely important to monarch butterflies’ lifecycles. The document, approved at the Collaborative’s April meeting, also includes information on how to maintain and manage milkweed stands.
The Collaborative’s resource list provides agricultural producers relevant technical information on managing and restoring habitat for monarch butterflies. The resources list includes information from a diverse range of sources.
The Collaborative recently heralded encouraging signs for monarch butterfly populations, while also urging stakeholders to continue working toward long-term strategies to support monarch butterfly recovery. The Collaborative also is continuing its work to develop and implement agricultural practices to support monarch populations throughout North America — including supporting the planting of additional milkweed and nectar sources appropriately placed in rural areas. The Collaborative’s efforts will focus on promoting awareness of how farmers, ranchers, and land owners can support, conserve, and enhance habitat for a sustainable monarch population.
To learn more about the Monarch Collaborative, visit keystone.org/monarch.
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