In 2014, the Obama administration announced plans to phase in a ban on growing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that were made for use with pesticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics. Those pesticides have been linked to an alarming decline in pollinating insect populations; such insects, like bees, are critical to agriculture. The ban also prohibited the growth of GMOs on wildlife refuges.
The Trump administration has rescinded those guidelines. Environmentalists are concerned that industrial agriculture will now be allowed in where they may harm our wild lands and animals, which are meant to be protected. Careful agriculture ventures in those refuges can enable the native species to survive, but there is concern that neonics will disrupt wildlife. Evidence has been found that indicates the pesticide alters tissues in ways that can harm so-called non-target species.
Source: Reuters
