Foreword |
| The nation's biological resources are the basis of much of our current prosperity and an essential part of the wealth that we will pass on to future generations. Like other forms of wealth, biological diversity constitutes a resource that must be conserved and managed carefully. Proper management of any resource requires (1) inventorying and monitoring the resource, (2) understanding the factors determining its supply and demand, and (3) analyzing options for current and future uses of the resource. Inventory and monitoring is the essential first step in taking stock of the wealth represented in our living resources and planning for their conservation and use. |
|
| This report, Our Living Resources, is the first product of the Status and Trends Program in the National Biological Service. The report compiles, for scientists, managers, and the lay public, information on many species and the ecosystems on which they depend. As a first step toward a consistent, large-scale understanding of the status and trends of these resources, this report brings together for the first time a host of information about our nation's biological wealth, highlighting causes for both comfort and concern. |
|
| The report provides valuable information about causes for the decline of some species and habitats. It also gives insight into successful management strategies that have resulted in recovery of others. The report will also serve as a useful guide for identifying research needs by revealing information gaps that must be filled if we are to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of both current conditions and the anticipated impact of change. |
|
| The mission of the National Biological Service is to work with others to provide the information and technologies needed to manage and conserve the nation's biological resources. As the biological science arm of the Department of the Interior--with neither regulatory nor resource-management responsibilities--NBS has as its primary responsibility serving the biological science needs of other Department of the Interior bureaus. |
|
| NBS also has a broader role of working with other federal agencies, states, universities, museums, private organizations, and landowners in a "National Partnership" to ensure that a more comprehensive and consistent approach is taken to providing information about the nation's biological resources. All of the players in this new partnership have long and rich histories of collecting and interpreting biological information. The National Biological Service will work with its partners to supplement and integrate this scientific information and make it more accessible. |
|
| Our Living Resources is a prime example of NBS's partnership approach. Authors are drawn from more than 15 federal agencies, 15 state agencies, 25 universities, and 13 private organizations. In some cases, individual papers are themselves products of interagency or intergovernmental partnerships. |
|
| Statistically reliable information on the status and trends of biological resources is an essential step towards better stewardship of our nation's biological wealth. Equally important is an intensive research program aimed at understanding what factors are responsible for biological changes and the incorporation of that understanding into resource management and policy decisions. NBS works closely with resource managers and other decision makers to analyze how natural forces and human activities affect biological resources and to predict how alternative management and policy decisions might improve or degrade those resources. |
|
| NBS is committed to providing better information and making that information easily accessible not only to those who manage and regulate how we use natural resources but also to every American who makes economic use or seeks recreation or simply cherishes the beauty of our living resources. More reliable information and better access to that information will result in better and fairer decisions and a more prosperous future for all Americans. |
|
