Western monarch population decline due to wildfires
The western monarch butterfly population remains at a critically low level. The latest Western Monarch Count recorded approximately 12,260 butterflies during the peak overwintering period in late 2025. This was the third-lowest count since monitoring began in 1997. The population has declined dramatically from the millions of western monarchs that were regularly recorded in the 1980s.
The decline is linked to several factors, including habitat loss and degradation, pesticide exposure, climate change, and extreme weather. Wildfires are an additional threat because they can destroy breeding and overwintering habitat. The 2025 Palisades Fire, for example, damaged monarch habitat in Lower Topanga State Park, including vegetation that provides nectar for the butterflies. Restoration efforts are now underway in parts of the burn area.
Monarchs depend on healthy habitats throughout their life cycle. Milkweed is essential because it is the only known host plant for monarch caterpillars, while flowering plants provide nectar for adults. Loss of these resources can make it harder for monarchs to reproduce, migrate, and survive.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in December 2024. The proposal also included protections for monarch habitat in coastal California. As of 2026, however, the monarch has not been given final federal protection.
Individuals can support monarch conservation by planting native milkweed and nectar-producing plants, avoiding unnecessary pesticide use, protecting existing habitat, and participating in community science projects that help researchers monitor monarch populations.
The western monarch's continued decline is a warning about the combined effects of habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, and extreme weather. Protecting the remaining habitat and restoring damaged areas will be important to preserving this remarkable migration for future generations.
Sources
Xerces Society, Western Monarch Numbers Remain at Historic Low
https://www.xerces.org/press/western-monarch-numbers-remain-at-historic-low
Xerces Society, Western Monarchs Head into Spring with a Small Migratory Population
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Save the Monarch
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Proposed Threatened Status for Monarch Butterfly
California State Parks Foundation, Where Monarchs Take Refuge
CalMatters, California's monarch butterfly count yields worrisome finding
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