Although we may not think about it often, pollinators are very important both to assuring that crop plants produce full harvests and in maintaining or increasing biodiversity. However, mounting evidence shows declines in pollinator populations throughout the world. A growing number of government agencies, non-government organizations, and researchers are working together in local, state, federal, and international efforts to determine the major threats to pollinators, the importance of services provided by pollinators, and what needs to be done to reverse pollinator declines.

In October, 2006 the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council released a report entitled "Status of Pollinators in North America." The report concluded that the long-term population trends for some North American pollinators are "demonstrably downward," but noted that much more pollinator population data remain to be collected. Declines in honey bee populations, as well as some wild pollinators, are of special concern. Recommendations related to managed honey bee populations include "improved information gathering for the beekeeping industry...prohibit introduction of new pests and parasites along with imported bees...expand efforts to encourage innovative approaches to protecting honey bees." Recommendations for wild pollinators include "expand basic research on the systematics of pollinators and on the development of rapid identification tools...require that any commercially produced bumble bee colony shipped within the United States be certified as disease-free...establish discovery surveys for pollinators of rare, threatened, and endangered plant species...establish a network of long-term pollinator-monitoring projects that use standardized protocols...Congress should not consider any Endangered Species Act amendment that would create additional barriers to listing pollinator species as endangered." The report can be viewed in full here.