December 5, 2018
This November, more than 160 stakeholders from 100 organizations came together to put planning into action at the Monarch Conservation Partners Meeting, co-hosted by the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) and the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA). Partners convened from 30 states to share information and advance implementation goals of the Mid-America Monarch Conservation Strategy and the Monarch Joint Venture.
Participation had a particular focus on the eastern monarch population migratory flyway in the United States, but included western U.S. conservation efforts, a researcher from Mexico, and a remote update on the monarch’s status and research in Canada.
“I’m sitting here looking at my list of follow-up items from [the meeting], and I am so appreciative of the opportunity to cross paths with so many talented, inspiring people.”
In a jam-packed two days, partners learned from 60 presentations on the latest in monarch conservation science, projects and case studies within priority land-based conservation sectors, on-the-ground conservation briefings by stakeholders across disciplines, and updates on regional, national and international species conservation status processes.
The meeting also split into breakout groups to move forward action items to ensure meeting the monarch conservation goals identified in the Mid-America Monarch Conservation Strategy. Partners divided into groups by land use sector (Agriculture, Urban and Developed, Protected, Rights of Way) to identify, refine and self-assign action items. Groups provided feedback to each other mid-way through the meeting to cross-pollinate between sectors.
“I truly enjoyed the meeting and came away with an expanded network and many actionable items... A great meeting of minds.”
Moving forward, MAFWA and the MJV will create a comprehensive report for dissemination, and the MJV will use the identified resources, action items, and priorities to update the national Monarch Conservation Implementation Plan for 2019.
Partners left the meeting inspired by the breadth and depth of the conservation efforts described at the meeting and motivated by the commitment and energy for enacting future conservation work, not only for monarchs, but also for the multiple benefits leveraged by their conservation.
The Monarch Joint Venture is a national partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic programs working together to conserve the monarch butterfly migration. The content in this email does not necessarily reflect the positions of all Monarch Joint Venture partners.