Monsanto joins fight to protect monarch butterfly
ST. LOUIS - Agribusiness company Monsanto (MON) says it's committing millions of dollars to the effort to help stem the worrisome decline of monarch butterflies.
The St. Louis-based company says it is donating $3.6 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund.
One-third of that money matches what a federal wildlife agency is contributing, with the remaining funds set aside to mirror what other federal agencies offer over the next three years.
Monsanto also is offering $400,000 to aid experts and groups working on the butterfly's behalf.
A dramatic drop in the monarch population worries environmentalists and scientists, with much of the decline blamed on habitat destruction.
Monarchs in the eastern U.S. migrate thousands of miles to Mexico for the winter.