The US President, Barack Obama, has issued a Presidential Memorandum called for the creation of a Federal Strategy to promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators.

In the memorandum, which was issued to Heads of executive departments and agencies, the president calls for new steps to reverse pollinator losses and to restore populations to healthy levels.

Pollinators contribute substantially to the economy of the United States and are vital to keeping fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the American diet. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year in the United States.

Over the past few decades, there has been a significant loss of pollinators, including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies, from the environment.

The memorandum describes the problem as serious and requiring immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of food production systems, avoid additional economic impact on the agricultural sector, and protect the health of the environment.

The continued loss of commercial honey bee colonies poses a threat to the economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States, which could have profound implications for agriculture and food. S evere yearly declines create concern that bee colony losses could reach a point from which the commercial pollination industry would not be able to adequately recover. The loss of native bees, which also play a key role in pollination of crops, is much less studied, but many native bee species are believed to be in decline. Scientists believe that bee losses are likely caused by a combination of stressors, including poor bee nutrition, loss of forage lands, parasites, pathogens, lack of genetic diversity, and exposure to pesticides.

The memorandum sets out a number of proposals including 'Establishing the Pollinator Health Task Force'