North American Monarch Conservation Plan NAMCP

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North American Monarch Conservation Plan(NAMCP)

• Trinational Monarch Butterfly Monitoring Workshop
• October 27-29, 2008
• Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
• Donita Cotter
• U.S. Fish and Wildife Service
• Donita_Cotter_at_fws.gov

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Presentation Outline

• What is the North American Monarch Conservation
  Plan (NAMCP)?
• How was the Plan Developed?
• Challenge of Continental Scale Conservation
  Planning
• What is in the Plan?
• Focus on Monitoring Capacity Building
  Objectives Actions

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What is the NAMCP?

• A long-term cooperative agenda for conservation
  of the monarch butterfly in North America
• An important tool for conserving habitats,
  building connections with partners and
  facilitating the exchange of information critical
  to the conservation of this species and its
  incredible migration phenomenon.

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Long History of Research Cooperative
Conservation in North America

• International Conferences - 1981, 1986, 1997, and
  2001
• Government NGO initiatives
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Foro
  Monarca, WWF-Mexico, USFWS-Wildlife without
  Borders, USFS-International Programs, Trilateral
  Committee, Texas Parks Wildlife Department,
  Alternare, FUNACOMM, Michoacan Restoration Fund,
  La Cruz Habitat Protection Project, Bird Studies
  Canada,
• Citizen Science Monitoring Environmental
  Education Monarch Watch, Monarch Larva Monitoring
  Project, Journey North, Correo Real, Texas
  Monarch Watch, Biocenosis, Canadian Museum of
  Nature
• Monarch and milkweed research

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How Was the Plan Developed?

• Trilateral Sister Protected Area Workshop
• Ecosystem Conservation Working Table project
  funded by CONANP, USFWS, and CWS
• Morelia, MX, March 2006
• CEC funding for Monitoring Handbook - December
  2006
• Monarch Flyway Conservation Workshop
• Sponsored by USFS, Texas Parks Wildlife, USAID,
  Wildlife Trust, City of McAllen
• Mission, TX, December 2006
• Launched NAMCP concept identified plan
  committee

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Development of the NAMCP

• NAMCP Committee Meetings
• Foro Monarca Morelia, MX, March 2007
• Trilateral Meeting - Quebec City, CA, May 2007
• Developed draft goals and objectives
• NAMCP initiative endorsed by Trilateral Committee
• Quebec City, Canada, May 2007
• CEC Biodiversity Conservation Working Group
  (BCWG) Meeting endorsement
• Quebec City, Canada, May 2007

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Development of the NAMCP

• CEC Council Meeting
• Morelia, MX, June 2007
• Res. 07-09 Trinational cooperation to conserve
  the Monarch butterfly and promote sustainable
  local livelihoods
• Allocated funding to support development and
  implementation of NAMCP

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Development of the NAMCP

• CEC Trinational Experts Workshop
• Morelia, MX, December 2007
• North American Monarch Conservation Plan
  Delivered at CEC Council Meeting
• Ottawa, Ontario - June 2008

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Challenge of Continental Scale Conservation
PlanningKnowledge Action

• What organisms need
• When they need it
• How those needs are met
• Why those needs arent being met
• What we can do to assure that those needs
  continue to be met
• Science-based conservation actions

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Fall Migration
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Spring Migration
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Conservation ChallengeDifferent Needs During
Life Cycle

• Migrating south
• Nectar sources, safe roosting locations
• Overwintering
• Intact forests that provide proper microclimate,
  water
• Migrating north and Breeding
• Nectar sources, milkweed, pesticide-free habitat

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Threats Breeding andMigratory Stages

• Habitat loss due to changing agricultural
  practices (genetically modified crops)
• Loss of agricultural land and open spaces up to
  2400 ha lost per day

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Threats Wintering Stage

• Deforestation

March 2004
February 2008
Open circles with dates are former locations of
monarch colonies in areas that no longer support
colonies (Lomas de Aparicio). Approximately 450
hectares (1,110 acres) of forest were logged
between 2004 and 2008. Ikonos satellite photo and
analysis L.P. Brower, D. Slayback, I. Ramirez
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Overarching Plan GoalPopulation Persistence

• Sufficient suitable habitat on monarch
  overwintering grounds (US and Mexico)
• Sufficient breeding and migrating habitat
  (Canada, Mexico and the US)

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Key Objectives of NAMCP

• Decrease or eliminate deforestation due to
  unsustainable logging in winter habitat
• Address habitat loss and degradation in the
  flyway
• Address loss, fragmentation, and modification of
  breeding habitat
• Develop and expand incentives and trilateral
  actions for conservation
• Monitor monarch performance and habitat quality

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Planning Principles

• Tri-national monarch conservation plan
• Coordinate with existing initiatives
• Use best available science
• Flyway approach
• Consider conservation, environmental, cultural,
  socio-economic contexts in Mexico, the US, and
  Canada

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Plan Contents

• Account of the species and its life cycle
• Current status and condition
• Discussion of current factors causing loss or
  decline (threats)
• Summary of current conservation actions in each
  country
• List of key trinational conservation goals,
  objectives, and target actions

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Trinational Conservation Actions Address

• Threats prevention, control and mitigation
• Innovative enabling approaches
• Research, monitoring, evaluation and reporting
• Education, outreach and capacity building

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Monitoring Objectives Actions

• Biological Monitoring - (habitat, monarch
  populations)
• Develop distribute monitoring handbook
  toolkit with standard protocols
• Develop population models for monarchs
• Analyze share data data management
• Identify Monitor Socioeconomic Factors
• WWF Study - assess available breeding and
  migratory habitat with associated land use
  changes
• Monitor success of conservation actions

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Education, Outreach, Capacity Building
Objectives Actions

• Expand communication information sharing
• Trilateral Outreach plan
• Develop distribute educational toolkit
• Enhance capacity building, training, and
  networking programs
• Field trainig program for all levels of decision
  makers
• Training programs for guides
• Monitoring training

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Creating a Monitoring Network

• Link to Existing Programs Initiatives
• Citizen science monitoring programs
• Sister Protected Area/Sister Sites Network
• Monarch Waystations
• Provide Tools in 3 languages Monitoring
  Handbook
• Replicate monitoring training workshops train
  the trainer
• Share data information

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Lets Get to Work.

• Conservation of the monarch butterfly and its
  unique migratory phenomenon is clearly a shared
  responsibility of all three countries.
• Implementation of the plan demands we continue to
  work together building upon the many fine monarch
  conservation projects already underway