Federal decision on monarch protections delayed, leaving habitat and communities uncertain

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s anticipated move to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act was put on indefinite hold, the Associated Press reported Dec. 12, 2025. The decision reverses a timeline announced during the final days of the Biden administration in December 2024, when the agency said it planned to complete the listing by the end of 2025.

The proposed listing would have generally prohibited killing or transporting monarchs, while still allowing people and farmers to remove milkweed from many gardens, backyards and farm fields. The proposal would have barred actions that render land permanently unusable for the species, and would have permitted the transport of fewer than 250 monarchs and the continued use of monarchs for education. In its December 2024 announcement the agency described the species as "iconic" and "cherished across North America."

Environmental scientists and conservationists have pointed to loss of milkweed habitat, changing land use practices and widespread pesticide use as primary drivers of monarch population declines. Pollinators like the monarch play a role in the resilience of agricultural systems and the broader ecosystems that support food production and community livelihoods. By stalling the federal listing process, the administration has delayed a regulatory pathway that could have triggered targeted habitat protections and conservation funding at a statewide and national scale.

The delay drew a predictable reaction from advocates. Tierra Curry, identified by the Associated Press as the center’s endangered species co director, told reporters she was not surprised by the pause and cited long delays in other listings as precedent. The Miami Blue butterfly was on the candidate list since 1984 and was not listed as endangered until 2012. The Dakota Skipper was a candidate beginning in 1984 and was listed as threatened in 2014. Those examples underscore how federal protections can take decades to materialize even after scientific attention has been focused on a species.

For landowners, educators and community groups the delay means the immediate imposition of new prohibitions will not occur. Routine activities such as removing milkweed in many circumstances and transporting small numbers of butterflies for instruction remain permissible under current law. For conservation organizations and frontline communities the pause increases uncertainty about long term habitat stability and the availability of federal resources to support restoration of milkweed corridors and other pollinator habitat.

The administrative hold also highlights broader questions about how environmental protections are prioritized and implemented. Marginalized rural communities and small scale farmers who depend on pollination services often lack the resources to adapt to declining pollinator populations, while larger agricultural operations can shape land use at scale. As federal action stalls, state and local programs may play a greater role but are likely to produce a patchwork of protections with uneven reach.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not announced a new timetable as of the AP report. Conservationists and affected communities said they will be watching for any movement, noting that the status of the monarch remains uncertain even as pressures on pollinators persist.