Tools | Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange

Habitat Quantification Tool

Better Accounting, Better Outcomes

how the hqt works

Traditional conservation tools focus on acreage, but not enough on the quality of those acres. Using the best science available and an innovative approach, the Habitat Quantification Tool incorporates both quantity and quality measures and brings greater confidence to conservation. how-the-hqt-works-image

The HQT evaluates both quantity and quality of habitat using a unit called "functional acres." This creates a common language for all stakeholders to use when prioritizing projects and funding, verifying project objectives are being met, and reporting contributions towards state and national conservation goals.

Customized Conservation

The HQT allows us to tailor each restoration or enhancement project to maximize
benefits for monarchs, for landowners, and for investors.

How Butterflies Benefit

The HQT has been customized to account for a number of specific habitat attributes across the life cycle of the monarch butterfly -- in particular the diversity and abundance of milkweed and nectar plants, which monarchs need for breeding and migrating.

These habitat attributes are evaluated as a percent of optimal condition using data-derived scoring curves. The resulting scores are subject to adjustment based on threats such as pesticide drift. Sites that score higher, or closer to optimal, will be the primary target for funding so as to maximize benefits for monarchs.

How Landowners and Investors Benefit

Application of this tool before, during and after a restoration or conservation project will enable participants to have clear expectations and better confidence that their efforts are having an impact.

For example, the results of the HQT can be used to compare different restoration scenarios, which allows landowners to maximize outcomes for monarchs in addition to the revenue potential from each project scenario. For investors, the HQT allows private companies, state agencies, philanthropic foundations, and concerned citizens to find and fund projects with the highest return on investment. It allows all stakeholders to track progress throughout the term of the project.

A Regional Approach

The HQT is designed to account for differences across the monarch’s expansive range,
capturing unique needs of the eastern and western subpopulations.

Factoring for Regional Variations

The HQT provides weights for monarch habitat attributes in three key regions: North Central, South Central and Western regions. For example, in the North Central region, breeding habitat is weighted more heavily than foraging habitat because the best available science indicates that breeding habitat is more limited in this region.

The HQT is expected to eventually cover the entire range of monarch butterfly habitat in the U.S., including the Northeast and Southeast regions. This regional approach allows conservation efforts to be more targeted according to specific habitat needs in any given place.

Factoring for Priority Regions

Another component of the monarch HQT is the conservation priority of each region, which is a subjectively determined value based on the relative contribution of a region to overwintering colony populations. The occupied area of overwintering habitat is used by scientists and conservation practitioners as a key indicator of overall species health.

Adaptive Management

Some information is still unknown about monarch butterfly biology, population dynamics, and response to habitat manipulation. The HQT will continue to be improved and updated as new science becomes available.

Acknowledgements

The expert insight and guidance provided by the University of Minnesota Monarch Lab
and other partners was essential to the development of the HQT.