Managing For Monarchs in the West

Best Management Practices for Conserving the Monarch Butterfly and its Habitat
These best management practices (BMPs) provide a brief summary of the known effects of frequently used land management practices on monarchs and their breeding/migratory habitat, followed by recommendations on how to incorporate monarch conservation into management decisions. The BMPs include ecoregion-specific recommendations for management timing and cover the practices of grazing, mowing, prescribed fire, and pesticides. An overview of monarch habitat restoration—including native milkweed and nectar plant species lists as well as native plant sourcing and establishment—provides managers with the necessary technical guidance to incorporate monarchs’ needs into projects. Invasive nonnative and noxious plant management, recreation, and climate change impacts are also addressed. Sections on monitoring monarch populations (including major tagging and tracking programs) and resources to learn about western monarch conservation wrap up the document.

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