America’s National Parks protect abundant and diverse natural resources. The excitement of seeing desert bighorn sheep, hiking through rugged and remote wilderness, viewing spectacular geologic features, listening to the songs of birds, and taking in a dark night sky draw millions of visitors to our parks every year. These natural resources are parts of complex ecosystems, and they interact with other plants and animals and their environment. Park natural resources respond to both natural and man-made drivers and stressors (such as climate change, invasive non-native species, disease, human disturbance, and air pollution), which vary by resource.
Understanding the condition of our natural resources, as well as trends in condition (that is, are conditions improving, declining, or remaining stable), is vital for managing and protecting park resources. If we don’t collect information on these resources, how would we know that what we’re doing is working?
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
