In 2021, we shared our plans to invest in creating habitats to support the western monarch butterfly, a species recently added as endangered to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
Over the years, we’ve helped restore and enhance over 750 acres of monarch butterfly habitat across California — achieving our 2021 monarch butterfly pledge. As part of our monarch support, Google.org provided grants to the Xerces Society and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to fund monarch habitat restoration work in Silicon Valley and across California. In addition, Google has created 20 acres of new habitat on our California campuses designed to support monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
Our monarch pledge is part of our overall effort to bring nature back into the built environment by restoring critical habitats across our campuses — for monarchs alongside a biodiverse group of other species. Last year, we opened two new offices in California that were intentionally designed to support native ecosystems. Our new Gradient Canopy building in Mountain View includes over four acres of native landscaping, including monarch habitat. And our new YouTube campus in San Bruno features 2.8 acres of native planting areas, including a monarch-focused garden. As of the end of 2023, we have created or restored approximately 67 acres of habitat and planted roughly 4,500 native trees on Google’s campuses and the surrounding urban landscape.
We’re honored to have been awarded the Monarch Sustainer of the Year Award by Pollinator Partnership as a result of these efforts. Our hope is to raise awareness about the threats facing monarch butterflies, and we encourage others to join us in taking action to support them.