Ecosystems Mission Area
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The Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA) is one of six mission areas of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). EMA provides independent biological, ecological, and environmental-health science that informs management of public lands and natural resources overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI).
History
[edit]Origins (1849–1972)
[edit]- DOI was created in 1849 to manage federal lands and resources.
- Congress established the USGS in 1879, initially to conduct nationwide geologic mapping.[1]
- Beginning in the 1930s, USGS launched Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRUs) with land-grant universities to train conservation scientists and conduct applied wildlife research.[2]
- The Endangered Species Act spurred demand for nationwide surveys of plants and animals.
- In 1975 USGS opened the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin, to investigate wildlife-disease outbreaks.[3]
National Biological Survey and Biological Resources Division (1993–2009)
[edit]In 1993 DOI consolidated biological research from several bureaus into the National Biological Survey (NBS) to provide “a sound scientific basis” for resource management.[4] Three years later the NBS was transferred to USGS as the Biological Resources Division (BRD). BRD expanded nationwide ecosystem programs, including:
- North American Breeding Bird Survey (continental bird-trend monitoring since 1966).[5]
- Gap Analysis Project for mapping species–habitat “gaps” in the conservation estate.[4]
- An enlarged network of CRUs (now 43 units in 41 states).[2]
Creation of the Ecosystems Mission Area (2010)
[edit]USGS reorganised in October 2010, moving from discipline-based divisions to six integrated mission areas. The BRD's functions were absorbed into the new Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA).[6][1]
- 2015 – USGS merged the National Wetlands Research Center (Lafayette, LA) and the Southeast Ecological Science Center (Gainesville, FL) to create the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC).[7]
- 2020 – The Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC), the Land Change Science/Climate R&D program, and the Environmental Health Program were realigned under EMA, broadening its climate- and contaminant-science portfolio.[1]
Recent developments (2020s)
[edit]EMA now focuses on climate resilience, invasive species, emerging wildlife diseases, wildfire and drought impacts, and data modernisation. In 2024 USGS released Annual NLCD, providing nationwide land-cover maps for every year 1985–2023 to track habitat change.[8]
Programs and research
[edit]- Biological Threats – invasive species, wildlife disease, and biosecurity. Hosts the public Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database and environmental-DNA early-warning tools.[9]
- Climate Adaptation Science Centers – one national and nine regional CASCs that co-produce applied climate-impact research with managers and tribes.
- Cooperative Research Units – federal–state–university partnerships training graduate students and delivering decision-support science.[2]
- Land Management Research – ecological effects of energy, forestry, recreation, and urban development.
- Species Management Research – population dynamics, habitat requirements, and recovery metrics for game and non-game species.
- Environmental Health – contaminants, harmful algal blooms, and zoonotic pathogens.
- Land Change Science – remote-sensing analyses such as the National Land Cover Database (NLCD).[8]
Scientific contributions
[edit]- Long-term datasets (e.g., Breeding Bird Survey) underpin population-trend assessments.[5]
- Discovery of the fungal pathogen causing white-nose syndrome in bats (NWHC).[3]
- Invasive-species risk mapping (zebra & quagga mussels) and nationwide NAS alerts.
- Open-access land-cover products (NLCD and Annual NLCD) enable quantification of wildfire, drought, and urban expansion.[8]
Partnerships
[edit]EMA collaborates with DOI bureaus (NPS, FWS, BLM), NOAA, EPA, NASA, state wildlife agencies, NGOs (for example The Nature Conservancy), and international partners (Canadian Wildlife Service, CONABIO) on cross-border monitoring programmes such as the Breeding Bird Survey.[5]
Impact
[edit]EMA science supports implementation of the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and federal invasive-species policy. Its impartial data guide land-use planning, wildfire-risk forecasts, and coastal-resilience strategies across the United States.
Timeline
[edit]| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1849 | DOI established. |
| 1879 | USGS created.[1] |
| 1935 | First Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit founded at Iowa State University.[2] |
| 1973 | Endangered Species Act enacted. |
| 1975 | National Wildlife Health Center established.[3] |
| 1993 | National Biological Survey created.[4] |
| 1996 | NBS transferred to USGS as Biological Resources Division.[4] |
| 2010 | Ecosystems Mission Area formally established during USGS reorganisation.[6] |
| 2015 | Wetland and Aquatic Research Center formed by merging NWRC and SESC.[7] |
| 2020 | Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Land Change Science, and Environmental Health programs realigned under EMA.[1] |
| 2024 | First release of Annual National Land Cover Database (1985–2023).[8] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "The Road to Biology at the USGS". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b c d "Cooperative Research Units". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b c "History of the NWHC". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b c d "History of WERC". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b c "North American Breeding Bird Survey". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b "Aligning USGS Senior Leadership Structure with the USGS Science Strategy" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. 2010. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b "We Are WARC". U.S. Geological Survey. 2015. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b c d "Annual National Land Cover Database". U.S. Geological Survey. 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.