Charting a path for the National Nature Assessment

Abstract

It's not every day that you get the opportunity to influence a major federal-level assessment from its inception; however, now is just such an occasion. A new evaluation of the state of nature in the US – the first National Nature Assessment (NNA) – is in its early formative stages and you are invited to help shape it. The NNA is one of several efforts being advanced by the Biden-Harris Administration to know, grow, and account for nature – in clear recognition of nature's significance to (among other Administration priorities) the fight against climate change. Nature affects almost every aspect of our lives and means something different to each of us. Even those reading this journal hold diverse views of nature, influenced by our backgrounds and cultures; our personal experiences and communities; our different ways of knowing; and our work across ecosystem types and levels of biological, ecological, and social organization. We've seen the value of including a wide range of perspectives and disciplines in research efforts, reports, and scientific assessments, including in ESA's own products. And we know that overlooking diverse views when considering policy and management decisions can create unnecessary trade-offs, marginalize groups of people, or fail to recognize the full spectrum of roles that nature plays. We need a comprehensive understanding of nature, an assessment enriched by braiding together the stories, scientific findings, Indigenous knowledge, and lived experiences of people from across the US. The NNA is an opportunity to integrate and assess information – from multiple sources and through a diversity of voices – to help gauge what nature means to different people, and to explore the future of the nation's great natural treasures. Launched in 2022 by the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and expected to be completed in 2026, the first-ever NNA aims to explore the many aspects of nature and its connections to issues facing those residing in the US today. Taking stock of the full abundance of our nation's lands, waters, and wildlife and the myriad ways that ecosystems affect US communities, the assessment will investigate how nature interacts with the economy, climate mitigation and adaptation, social equity, public health, and national security. It will allow us to consider what the future may hold, and what options we have for investing in nature as a core part of achieving societal aspirations. The USGCRP is taking initial steps to outline the NNA development process, with much of the scope and details of the assessment still to be determined. The developers will draw on lessons from previous assessments to ensure that the NNA is both useful and usable. For example, a major strength of the National Climate Assessment – now in its fifth cycle (https://www.globalchange.gov/nca5) – is its diverse author team: contributors from across the US with a wide range of expertise work together to create a credible, authoritative source of information on climate change. The National Climate Assessment also has broad salience and relevance, in part due to its multiple opportunities for engagement with and participation beyond the federal government. Building on experiences like these, and given the increasingly stronger calls from the research community for co-production, we aim to conduct the NNA in close collaboration with potential users and to broaden the types of knowledge considered, particularly those ways of knowing that have historically been repressed or overlooked. This process has just begun. We invite you to help shape it and ensure strong, diverse, relevant content. You can start by telling us: What questions should the NNA answer? What needs should it fill? How can we ensure strong collaboration with users and incorporate diverse ways of knowing nature? What form should the final product(s) take to be most accessible and useful to you, your community, and the government? Read more about this Request for Information (https://www.globalchange.gov/content/request-information-framing-national-nature-assessment) and submit your ideas to https://contribute.globalchange.gov through March 31, 2023. Comment is free and open to anyone from anywhere, including other countries. Beyond this initial collaboration on framing the assessment, there will be multiple opportunities to engage with the NNA throughout its development. The NNA is an opportunity to create a new picture of nature in the US – one that reflects the depth and diversity of ways people know, care about, and act on changes in nature. Your input and expertise matter. By design, our collective success depends on your engagement. Please join us in charting a new path for National Nature Assessments.