News Release
U.S. Department of the Interior
U. S. Geological Survey
Biological Resources Division
302 National Center
Reston, Va. 20192
Release Date: June 17, 1999
Contact:
Dr. Michael Mac703-648-4073michael_mac at usgs.gov
Catherine Haecker703-648-4283catherine_haecker at usgs.gov
USGS Assesses Nation's Biological Resources at Century End
The U.S. Geological Survey has released the first large-scale assessment of
the nation's natural resource heritage in a two-volume report, "Status and
Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources." At century end, this report
synthesizes current information within a historical perspective to document
how the nation's biological resources are changing. The report also
underscores the essential need for science to be used in guiding decisions
on resource management.
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, said, "This study is a CT scan of
our nation, and like a doctor, it can give us a diagnosis as to what we
need to do to restore the health of our living landscapes. The rest is up
to us."
Almost 200 federal, academic, and non-governmental experts provided
baseline information of value to scientists, policy makers, resource
managers and the public. The 1,000-page scientifically peer-reviewed
report, written in non-technical language, details both the issues
affecting biological resources and the status and trends of specific regions.
USGS Director Charles Groat said that this report, along with efforts to
establish uniform standards for collecting biological information, is
allowing the inventory and monitoring program of the Survey's Biological
Resources Division to "do what USGS does best--provide scientifically
sound, impartial, and relevant information."
Dennis Fenn, Chief Biologist for the USGS-BRD, commenting on how the report
was assembled, said, "It was a truly collaborative endeavor among
scientists from throughout the nation who came together to synthesize
existing and new information so that we can all know the state of our
natural resource legacy."
Volume One covers seven factors affecting biological resources nationwide:
natural processes, land use, water use, climate change, nonindigenous
species, environmental contaminants and harvest.
Volume Two describes the status and trends of biological resources in 14
areas of the country and how they have been affected by these factors.
Regions covered are the Northeast, Great Lakes, Southeast, Caribbean
Islands, Mississippi River, Coastal Louisiana, Grasslands, Rocky Mountains,
Great Basin-Mojave Desert, Southwest, California, Pacific Northwest,
Alaska, and Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
Each regional chapter describes the geologic and climatic changes that
formed the region and the recent history of settlement; describes the
ecosystems in the region; provides status and trends of populations; and
identifies information gaps.
The final chapter of Part Two, produced by the National Marine Fisheries
Service, describes the status and trends of marine resources by region.