The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced on Monday that it is awarding $3.3 million in grants from its Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund. The amount will fund 22 grants in support of initiatives to restore 33,000 acres of monarch butterfly habitats, according to a press release.
The population of monarch butterflies has declined from 1 billion to 60 million over the past 20 years. Experts blame the decline to loss of habitat, particularly the loss of milkweed, which is the only plant that monarch caterpillars feed on. To protect the dwindling monarch butterfly population, the NFWF launched the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund in an effort to promote the protection of the butterflies' habitats.
"NFWF and our partners acted very quickly to launch this new competitive grant program, and we were delighted to have drawn such a large number of excellent proposals," Lila Helms, NFWF's executive vice president of external affairs, said in the press release. "The grants we announce today will fund on-the-ground projects that will quickly contribute to a healthier, more sustainable monarch population."
The grants are funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service and NFWF private funds. Monsanto, maker of the herbicide Roundup that environmentalists are blaming for much of the loss of monarch butterflies' habitat, has pitched in $1.2 million of grant money.
But will protecting the butterflies' habitat ensure the protection of the monarchs?
A study published in the journal Science in August suggested that the monarch butterflies are dying during migration, which is why the winter populations are dwindling. Although more studies are needed to identify the causes of monarchs' death, experts said the migration factor should be considered as well in order to have better conservation programs for monarch butterflies.
