Science and the National Parks (1992) / Chapter Skim
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5 A NEW MANDATE FOR SCIENCE IN THE NATIONAL PARKS
5 A NEW MANDATE FOR SCIENCE IN THE NATIONAL PARKS
Pages 87-112
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From page 87... ...
science program has been unnecessarily fragmented, and it has lacked a coherent sense of direction, purpose, and unity. The lack of consistency over time especially with regard to leadership from the Washington office has impeded the success of science programs and thus has made park management less effective.
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From page 88... ...
AN EXPLICIT LEGISLATIVE MANDATE FOR SCIENCE To eliminate once and for all any ambiguity in the scientific responsibilities of the Park Service, legis lation should be enacted to establish the explicit au thority, mission, and objectives of a national park science program. As described in Chapter 3, numerous experts both inside and outside of the Park Service have provided advice about the importance of the science program.
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From page 89... ...
Also, the NPS has not given science a stature equal to that of resource management, perhaps because it is easier to focus on the immediate at the expense of the long term a tendency that is exaggerated when budgets are limited Finally, the NPS has been inconsistent in distinguishing strong from weak science, thereby damaging the credibility of science in the eyes of park staff and others (NRC, 1990~. As a result, the NPS science program has contributed far less than it can and should.
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From page 90... ...
In addition, international programs in which NPS participates also have helped define the scope of NPS science, including the Man and the Biosphere and the World Heritage programs (Franklin, 1985~. Despite these periodic calls for science, the most critical foundation for science in the parks is missing: Although the Organic Act of 1916 implies the need for science in the national parks, it does not provide an explicit legislative mandate.
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From page 91... ...
Science for the Parks The National Park Service should establish a strong, coherent research program, including elements to characterize and gain understanding of park resources and to aid in the development of effective management practices. A new NPS mandate for science shouict encompass two distinct but related components, which this committee calls for convenience "science for the parks" and "parks for science." Each component offers contributions critical to the stewardship of park resources, but the first approach-science for the parks-is the most obviously relatect to the NPS mission to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
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From page 92... ...
Research to Gain Understanding of Park Resources To provide a scientific basis for protecting and managing the resources entrusted to it, the Park Service should establish, and expand where it already exists, a basic resource information system, and it should establish inventories and monitoring in designated park units. This information should be obtained and stored in ways that are comparable between units, thereby facilitating access, exchange, integration, and analysis throughout the park system and with other interested research institutions.
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From page 93... ...
Inventories and monitoring provide the foundation for analyzing most applied resource management questions, and they can help elucidate the normal limits and variations of systems and establish a baseline for later comparisons of trends. Every element of a system, whether natural, cultural, or human, can change, and all long-term management plans must address the detection of change.
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From page 94... ...
Research to Support Park Management Goals National Park Service researchers should have more input into the development of resource management plans. Effective interaction between research results and resource management plans cannot take place without both a strong science program and a strong resource management program.
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From page 95... ...
As knowledge expands from research, further research questions become clearer; in addition, as management programs are carried out, the validity of the underlying assumptions of resource management plans and the success of management actions themselves can be tested through research. Data properly
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From page 96... ...
Parks for Science The National Park Service should establish and encourage a strong "parks for science" research program that addresses major scientific questions, particularly within those parks that encompass large undisturbed natural areas. This effort should include NPS scientists and other scientists in independent and cooperative activities.
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From page 97... ...
One major challenge to the scientific community in general (and park managers as well) is to distinguish anthropogenic change from natural variation in biological and hydrological processes.
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From page 98... ...
be allowed to devote some of their professional time to this pursuit. A basic research component within the NPS science program will aid the professional growth of NPS scientists and will benefit the management-oriented science program.
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From page 99... ...
Seashore Redwood NP Rocky Mountain NP Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP Virgin Island NP Yellowstone NP Yosemite NP Wrangell-St. Elias NPd Number of NPS Units X X xa xa xa xa xa xa xb XC X xa xa xa xa xa xa xa X xa X xa X X xa xa X X X X 30 X X X X X X X X X 10 apart of a biosphere reserve including other administrative units.
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From page 100... ...
SEPARATE FUNDING AND AUTONOMY Organizational Change The National Park Service should revise its organizational structure to elevate ant! give substantial organizational and budgetary autonomy to the science program, which should include both the planning of research and the resources required to conduct a comprehensive program of natural and social science research.
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From page 101... ...
· All supervisory scientists in field offices (including cooperative park study units, science centers, and park science programs) should report to a chief scientist at the regional level.
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From page 102... ...
A central office could bring better coordination of baseline inventory and monitoring efforts and better overall consistency and quality control. Ultimately, the NPS science program will be only as successfu!
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From page 103... ...
They also must provide leadership in addressing problems that affect more than one park. Cooperative park study units should be selected carefully after an objective competition among qualified host institutions.
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From page 104... ...
grade evaluation system, including external representation on the panels, is needed to encourage strong science and the professional growth of NPS scientists. Improving the Budget Environment The National Park Service science program should receive its funds through an explicit, separate (line item)
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From page 105... ...
Natural resource management activities might include fire management and natural resource management planning, implementation, and training. The bottom-up process project identification, assessment and description, and prevention and mitigation now used to develop resource management plans would still be essential, and full participation would be required from resource managers and scientists, including as needed scientists from outside NPS.
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From page 106... ...
The chief scientist would work from the Washington office and report to the Director of the NPS, provide technical direction to the science and resource management staff at the regions and in the parks, and foster interactions with other research agencies and nongovernment organizations. In addition, the chief scientist should establish a credible program of peer review for NPS science, reaching from the development of research plans through publication of results.
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From page 107... ...
Encouraging External Science To help the NPS expand the science program and increase its effectiveness, the Park Service, in cooperation with other agencies, should establish a competitive grants program to encourage more external scientists to conduct research in the national parks. The program should include scientific peer review that involves both NPS scientists and external scientists.
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From page 108... ...
As the NPS expands its science program and attracts more collaborators, it will have to ensure that its administrative processes are capable of handling research requests, ruling on the admissibility of experimental and manipulative studies, and incorporating data and publications into the NPS's growing scientific record. The Need for an External Advisory Board The National Park Service should enlist the services of a high-level science advisory board to provide long-term guidance in planning, evaluating, and setting policy for the science program.
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From page 109... ...
REALIZING THE VISION To build a science program that fulfills its potentialthat meets the needs of resource managers, helps the public understand and enjoy park resources, and contributes to understanding our changing world the Park Service must give the science program immediate and aggressive attention. Pressures on these national treasures are increasing rapidly.
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From page 110... ...
The new environment will attract and retain highquaTity researchers, especially given incentives such as support for participation in professional meetings and other activities, encouragement to publish results both in the peer-reviewed open literature and in well-reviewed NPS publications, the acquisition of high-quaTity equipment and facilities, and the possibility for greater professional recognition that attends the more tangible offerings. NPS scientists would be encouraged to challenge conventional wisdom and current policies and practices with the single objective of improving the quality of science and management in the national parks.
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From page 111... ...
The recommendations in this report are sweeping and fundamental; they will require substantial alterations in the philosophic and substantive structure and function of the Park Service. The NPS recognizes the need for a reinvigorated science program as well as the importance of parks in the broader scientific mission of the country.
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