Science and the National Parks (1992) / Chapter Skim
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pages 1-14
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From page 1... ...
Protection, it was thought, was the key to the conservation of park resources. We now know, however, that accomplishing the mission of the Park Service requires far more than passive protection; it requires sound understanding of park resources, their status and trends, the threats they face, and the measures needed to correct or prevent problems in these dynamic ecosystems.
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Although an adequate science program alone cannot ensure the integrity of the national parks, it can enable faster identification of problems, greater understanding of causes and effects, and better insights about the prevention, mitigation, and management of problems. Science supports resource management so NPS staff can manage park resources wise{y, and it supports interpretive programs for the public.
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From page 3... ...
Research can guide the National Park Service in preserving it for future generations. In Rocky Mountain National Park, for instance, research runs the gamut from studies of the effects of acid precipitation to surveys of amphibian populations to assessments of the impacts of visitors on alpine tundra environments.
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From page 4... ...
PREVIOUS REVIEWS OF THE NPS RESEARCH PROGRAM Since the early 1960s, when the first major independent reviews of the adequacy of the NPS science program were conducted, many experts have assessed the Park Service's research efforts. Two particularly noteworthy reviews appeared in 1963: "Wildlife Management in the National Parks," known as the Leopold report after A
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As critics of the National Park Service science program have noted, property as valuable and unique as the national parks should not go without adequate research staff as elementary insurance to preserve the parks. Long-term environmental monitoring is especially needed.
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, the NPS science program must include elements of the biological, geophysical, and social sciences. The current NPS organization considers research part of resource management.
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Some regions arrange for much of their research through extramural contracts or cooperative agreements; in others, most research is done by NPS staff. The question of whether the leadership of the NPS science program should be centralized or decentralized is controversial.
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CREDIT: Chris Elfring, National Research Council. The absence of a distinct science program hampers research planning, tracking of expenditures, and accountability for results.
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As the trustee for irreplaceable samples of the nation's natural and cultural heritage, the NPS should be among the most forward looking and progressive resource management agencies in the federal government, and research should be an essential element in its mandate. RECOMMENDATIONS in conducting this study of science in the national parks, the National Research CounciT's Committee on Improving the Science and Technology Programs of the National Park Service originally set out to evaluate the scope and organization of current NPS natural and social science by performing a peer review of NPS research activities.
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From page 10... ...
AN EXPLICIT LEGISLATIVE MANDATE · To eliminate once and for all any ambiguity in the scientific responsibilities of the Park Service, legislation should be enacted to establish the explicit authority, mission, and objectives of a national park science program. · 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.
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From page 11... ...
Effective interaction between research results and resource management plans cannot take place without both a strong science program and a strong resource management program. · The National Park Service should also establish and encourage a strong "parks for science" program that addresses major scientific research questions, particularly within those parks that encompass large undisturbed natural areas and wilderness.
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From page 12... ...
· 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 13... ...
If the NPS is to meet the scientific and resource management challenges of the twenty-first century, a fundamental metamorphosis must occur within its core. This committee's Derision for the NPS science program is ambitious but obtainable.
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