National Valuation of Monarch Butterflies Indicates an Untapped Potential for Incentive‐Based Conservation

Diffendorfer, James E.; Loomis, John B.; Ries, Leslie; Oberhauser, Karen S.; López‐Hoffman, Laura; Semmens, Darius J.; Semmens, Brice X.; Butterfield, Bruce A.; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Goldstein, Josh; Wiederholt, Ruscena; Mattsson, Brady J.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.

doi:10.1111/conl.12065

Cited by 62 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Understanding the potential for heavy metal tolerance in butterflies is a conservation priority, especially because pollinating insects other than bees account for 39% of pollination services worldwide (Rader et al, 2016). In addition, monarchs are an important flagship species for insect conservation; they are very charismatic (Guiney & Oberhauser, 2009), and the public is willing to pay as much to support monarchs as they would pay to support charismatic vertebrates such as wolves and whooping cranes (Diffendorfer et al, 2014). The monarch butterfly is currently being considered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for being listed as Threatened Status under the Endangered Species Act (Center for Biological Diversity et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing zinc tolerance in two butterfly species: consequences for conservation in polluted environments

Shephard¹,

Mitchell

Henry

et al. 2020

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Zinc is a widespread pollutant released from industrial combustion, automobile residue, and mining. Zinc accumulates in soils and mobilises into plant tissue where it may be consumed to potentially toxic levels by leaf feeding insects, including developing pollinators. While zinc tolerance thresholds have been previously assessed in insect pollinators, most observations are limited to model organisms and pest species. We lack understanding of zinc tolerance in insects of conservation concern. We assess dietary zinc tolerance of developing caterpillars from wild populations of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a species of conservation concern, whose caterpillars are commonly exposed to elevated dietary zinc exposure in milkweed plants along roadsides. We contrast monarch zinc tolerance with that of cabbage white butterfly caterpillars (Pieris rapae), a non‐native pest species. Tolerance was assessed by rearing caterpillars on artificial diets containing varying levels of zinc. Zinc reduced monarch survival at levels as low as 344 mg kg−1 but positively impacted cabbage white survival at 227 and 738 mg kg−1. Cabbage whites also displayed prolonged development time, smaller adult body size, and slower growth rate, consistent with the possibility that zinc tolerance had fitness costs. Our results support previous observations that heavy metal tolerance varies between species and highlight the importance of broadening our understanding of tolerance to insect species of conservation concern before drawing general conclusions about insect susceptibility to heavy metal pollution. Nonetheless, our results suggest that zinc pollution alone is unlikely a risk in developing roadside habitat for monarch butterflies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing zinc tolerance in two butterfly species: consequences for conservation in polluted environments

Shephard¹,

Mitchell

Henry

et al. 2020

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“… A few contingent valuations exist valuing butterflies or the ecosystem service of pollination – see for instance Diffendorfer et al . () for a valuation of the Monarch butterfly by US citizens. …”

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confidence: 99%

Valuing the Impacts of An Invasive Biological Control Agent: A Choice Experiment on the Asian Ladybird in France

Chakir¹,

David²,

Gozlan³

et al. 2016

J Agricultural Economics

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Initially used as a biological control against aphids, the Asian ladybird has become highly invasive in many regions, including Europe. While biological control is usually considered as an environmentally‐friendly alternative to chemical pesticides in controlling pests in crops, there is growing concern that these environmental benefits could be outweighed by the negative consequences of the invasion. These include (i) biodiversity losses as populations of native ladybirds suffer from intraguild predation and competition for resources; (ii) human nuisance in houses, including risks of allergy and (iii) potential losses to wine‐growers. We provide an economic valuation of environmental and private characteristics affected by the Asian ladybird's invasion. We conduct a discrete choice experiment among a representative sample of the French population. Our results show that the consequences of the Asian ladybird's introduction do affect significantly the population's welfare. Among these, the impact on biodiversity through the threat on native species appears to be a significant concern.

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“…Finally, we anticipated that socioeconomic variables would influence participation in environmental or gardening groups, prior knowledge of monarchs, and attitudes towards conservation since data have shown similar trends [56]. The outcomes of our study will inform future education and public outreach needs in order to increase the public's desire for monarch and general insect conservation [57], particularly at a local scale where prior studies have indicated the greatest need [54].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Given the overall charisma of monarchs [52] and efforts to change the conservation status of monarchs [53], we aimed to determine if the general public's views on butterfly conservation generally were informed by prior knowledge of monarchs [54,55]. Specifically, we wanted to determine (1) if prior knowledge of monarchs (i.e., appearance, required food sources, and potential decline) affects monarch conservation attitudes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Knowledge of Monarchs and Support for Butterfly Conservation

Penn

2018

Sustainability

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Pollinator populations in North America are in decline, including the iconic monarch butterfly. In order to determine if public knowledge of monarchs informs opinions on butterfly conservation, we surveyed the public to assess their knowledge of monarchs. We also asked participants about their attitudes towards general butterfly conservation and if they believe that butterfly gardens contribute to conservation. Respondents generally had some knowledge of monarchs but were unaware of monarch population declines and the necessity of milkweed to their life cycle. Respondent knowledge was correlated with more positive attitudes about butterfly conservation. Furthermore, membership in an environmental organization increased the likelihood that the participant had prior knowledge of monarchs and cared about monarch conservation. Respondent socioeconomic factors of age and sex were also significantly correlated with conservation attitudes-older and female participants had more positive attitudes towards general butterfly conservation. Interestingly, females were also less likely than males to admit having prior knowledge of monarchs, indicating that gender may also play an important role in conservation outreach efforts. Our study indicates that educational efforts need to be directed more toward individuals not already associated with an environmental organization as these individuals are predisposed to regard conservation positively.

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National Valuation of Monarch Butterflies Indicates an Untapped Potential for Incentive‐Based Conservation

Cited by 62 publications

References 28 publications

Assessing zinc tolerance in two butterfly species: consequences for conservation in polluted environments

Assessing zinc tolerance in two butterfly species: consequences for conservation in polluted environments

Valuing the Impacts of An Invasive Biological Control Agent: A Choice Experiment on the Asian Ladybird in France

Public Knowledge of Monarchs and Support for Butterfly Conservation

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