The number of honeybees across the United States has been on the decline for years, threatening both the country’s environment and agricultural production. The White House unveiled Tuesday its long-awaited plan to reverse the trend.
Among other initiatives, the federal government will seek to increase the size of pollinator habitats, encourage training of future bee scientists and establish seed banks for bee-friendly plants.
More than 90 commercial crops in North America, including many nuts, fruits and vegetables, rely on honey bees, and honey bee pollination contributes billions to the U.S. economy, according to the White House. In recent years, the number of honey bees has declined precipitously. Beekeepers lost more than 40% of honeybee colonies in the last year alone, according to a study released last week.
“By expanding the conversation through enhanced public education and outreach, as well as strongly built public/private partnerships, the Strategy seeks to engage all segments of our society so that, working together, we can take meaningful and important steps to reverse pollinator declines,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy in a letter accompanying the announcement.
The announcement comes nearly a year after the Obama administration announced a task force to look into the health of honeybees.
- The Case for Mediocrity
- How Russia Is Recruiting Cubans to Fight in Ukraine
- Paul Hollywood Answers All of Your Questions About The Great British Baking Show
- Meet the 2023 TIME100 Next: the Emerging Leaders Shaping the World
- Oprah and Arthur C. Brooks: How to Separate Work From Your Identity
- How Canada and India's Relationship Crumbled
- You Don’t Have to Like Wrestling to Love Netflix’s Excellent Wrestlers
- The Most Anticipated Books, Movies, TV, and Music of Fall 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
