SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously today to declare the Quino checkerspot butterfly a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act, granting protections for the small butterfly as the state conducts further review.

Today’s decision comes after the Center for Biological Diversity and the Endangered Habitats League petitioned the commission to list the imperiled butterfly as endangered due to its extreme population declines. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will now conduct a review to determine whether Quino checkerspot butterflies should receive permanent protections under the Act.

“I applaud the commission for recognizing the Quino’s plight. These colorful butterflies are fluttering toward extinction, but there’s still hope,” said Sofia Prado-Irwin, PhD, a staff scientist at the Center. “I’m relieved the Quino is now better protected and I look forward to the day these protections are permanent.”

Known for its red, black and cream-colored checkered wings, Quino checkerspot butterflies were once easily spotted throughout Southern California. But sprawl development, climate change, pollution, invasive species and border wall construction continue to threaten the species’ survival.

Quino checkerspot butterflies are now only found in a few small and fragmented populations in San Diego and Riverside counties.

“The Quino checkerspot butterfly was once one of the most common butterflies in Southern California,” said Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League. “This action by the Fish and Game Commission will help keep this unique animal part of the world we all share.”

The butterflies will receive state protections while the department determines whether to formally protect them.

Quino checkerspot butterflies were listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1997. The Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to weaken the ESA demonstrate that federal protections alone cannot be relied upon to protect the butterfly or any of California’s imperiled species, making state protection essential.