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By Center for Food Safety – December 27, 2025
Monarch butterflies are hanging on by a thread, with some populations plummeting by up to 95% over the past two decades. But thanks to a decade-long CFS-led science and legal campaign, these gorgeous creatures were FINALLY formally proposed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)!
It’s a huge victory — but as we celebrate, we also recognize that our work isn’t done. The protections are only proposed, and we don’t know when they’ll be made final. The decision was supposed to be made this year, but the Trump administration has trapped it in bureaucratic limbo. This delay comes on the heels of several sweeping changes proposed by the administration that would gut the protections offered by the Endangered Species Act.
We expect that Monsanto will almost certainly challenge the hard-won protections as well, since the Monarchs near-demise is caused by their Roundup Ready crops.
Either way, we’re preparing to go back to court to defend our victory. But now that these gorgeous creatures are proposed for protection under the Endangered Species Act, we can take even stronger legal action to stop all the poisonous pesticides responsible for their demise – protecting Monarchs, their habitats, other pollinators, AND our planet from this deadly poison.
Over a decade ago, CFS recognized the dire situation for the Monarchs and embarked on the long fight of getting these amazing creatures and their unique multi-generational migration protected under the Endangered Species Act. And after thousands of hours of work by our science, legal, and policy staff, we finally won – and just in time.
A terrifying new study confirmed that the deadly pesticide coated seeds that blanket our farmland are also decimating Monarch butterfly populations. So, our game changing win marks the start of a new battle to ensure these protections actually bring these amazing creatures back from the brink.
