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Historic nationwide agreement leverages conservation for the monarch butterfly

At a Glance

  • 26M

    Acres of Land

  • 48

    States

  • 45

    Partners

Location
Lower 48 States, United States
Offices
Client
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
Recognition at the 2022 Monarch Butterfly Summit in Washington DC
Acknowledged in the White House’s first America the Beautiful report

Nationwide CCAA for the Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies have declined by more than 80 percent since the 1990s. Like other at-risk wildlife, the monarch is being affected by a loss of habitat and climate change. In a first-of-its-kind conservation effort for this species, we supported the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) with facilitating a partnership between transportation and energy managers from across the United States. We worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and dozens of organizations, agencies, and businesses to develop a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for the monarch butterfly.

One of the largest CCAAs ever completed, the agreement encourages non-federal landowners and land managers to adopt measures that conserve and sustain habitat for the monarch butterfly . Partners enrolled in the agreement may commit to measures like timed mowing, targeted herbicide or grazing use, or seeding and planting for habitat benefits. The CCAA also provides a model for other at-risk species and contributes to other large voluntary conservation initiatives.

Following completion in the spring of 2020, the CCAA was lauded by conservation groups, industry partners, and the USFWS for its collaboration and conservation commitments. In its first two years, it has received more than 35 applications from utilities and highway agencies from across the country and has delivered conservation on over 900,000 acres across more than 19 states.

At a Glance

  • 26M

    Acres of Land

  • 48

    States

  • 45

    Partners

Location
Lower 48 States, United States
Offices
Client
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
Recognition at the 2022 Monarch Butterfly Summit in Washington DC
Acknowledged in the White House’s first America the Beautiful report

Meet Our Team

Amy Flansburg, Ecologist

My passion is to help clients meet expectations for ecological preservation and help them understand and communicate their success.

Brian Bub, Associate, Wildlife Biologist

Protecting wildlife through collaboration is the most rewarding aspect of the work I do.

Erica Christiansen, Biologist

The way to address the future, to improve our environment, is to get everyone involved.

Amy Flansburg

Ecologist

Brian Bub

Associate, Wildlife Biologist

Erica Christiansen

Biologist

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