The City of Mercier is proud to have received the Monarch Friendly City designation from the David Suzuki Foundation. The certificate confirms the city’s commitment to preserving the monarch’s habitat through five specific measures. Since the initiative’s launch, more than 340 mayors and community leaders have committed to helping save monarchs in North America, including more than 80 in Quebec.
The inauguration took place in the presence of representatives of the city of Mercier, namely Marie-Claude Perron, environmental consultant, Lise Michaud, mayor, Jean-Pierre Trudeau, worker, Philippe Drolet, councilor, district 4, and Ronald Caron , blue collar.
The mayor of Mercier, Lise Michaud, is proud of the community’s commitment.
“Mercier is committed to protecting the environment for future generations, so the certification went hand in hand with our values of sustainable development,” she said. For this reason, it was important to us to help this migratory insect that is in great danger. We are confident that Mercier residents will join this movement and that our collective efforts will make a difference in this fight for the butterfly’s survival.”
Municipal and citizen actions
Here are the first five actions that have been taken or are underway by the City of Mercier outside the scope of its Monarch Friendly City Certification:
- Pass a resolution in the local council aimed at raising awareness of the decline in monarch populations and the need for this species to create and protect habitats that promote their survival.
- Create a monarch-friendly demonstration garden in front of the library entrance.
- Organize a free milkweed seed distribution.
- Organize community activities to introduce citizens to the monarch and encourage them to create habitats.
- Integrate nature conservation into the city’s future environmental policy.
Throughout September, residents are invited to visit the library, where a selection of books on insects and pollinators as well as an exhibit on the monarch butterfly are available. In addition to the commitments made by the community, citizens are also encouraged to participate in various actions to help restore the monarch’s habitat.
“Communities play a critical role in conserving the monarch and its habitat. They can take simple actions that will have a significant impact on the survival of the species and other pollinators, while raising awareness among their citizens about the importance of participating in this conservation effort. In this sense, we appreciate the commitment of the city of Mercier. We hope that this initiative can inspire other communities to join this great movement to protect this iconic butterfly,” said Alexandre Huet, head of mobilization and public engagement for Quebec at the David Suzuki Foundation.
Endangered species
Remember that the monarch butterfly is an endangered species: its population has declined dramatically over the past two decades. Scientists attribute this decline to the degradation and loss of breeding habitats. However, communities can play a key role in protecting the habitat of this iconic butterfly and contributing to the conservation of this species.
To encourage municipalities to take concrete actions to protect the monarch, as the city of Mercier is doing, the David Suzuki Foundation, in collaboration with Space for Life in Quebec, has launched the “Monarch Friendly City” initiative, which aims to: Implement measures to restore monarch habitats and raise awareness among citizens.
