The Global Drylands Center was delighted to help the United States Global Change Research Program host the first-ever National Nature Assessment (NNA1) to evaluate U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, biodiversity, and their contributions to our economy, health, culture, climate, and equity. The Assessment will also project future changes and their impacts. Marking the Zero-Order Draft release in the Federal Register, the NNA1 was hosted in person at the Great Hall on November 15. Several authors who have contributed to the NNA1 met with faculty, staff, student and community members who engaged in rapid-fire question sessions and were given the opportunity to provide feedback to the contributors.
About the National Nature Assessment
The challenges of climate change and nature loss are interconnected. Yet, the significance of nature in recent patterns of intensifying floods, heat stress, and wildfire is often overlooked. More frequent and extreme floods are the result of climate change and the extensive loss of wetlands that once acted as buffers, reducing some flood impacts. More intense heat waves stem from climate change and the loss of forests’ cooling canopies in cities and around farms. These interacting aspects of global change need to be understood and confronted together.
To better understand the full picture of what is happening with nature, USGCRP is undertaking a National Nature Assessment, which will take stock of U.S. lands, waters, wildlife and the benefits they provide to our economy, health, climate, environmental justice, and national security. The Assessment will also look ahead at how nature might change in the future, and what those changes may mean for our economy and our lives.
The First National Nature Assessment is in the early stages of development and is anticipated to be released in 2026. As with other USGCRP assessments, the National Nature Assessment will draw on expertise from the Federal Government, Indigenous communities, academia, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. The Assessment team will hold an array of public engagement opportunities to ensure the report answers questions that are important to every American’s life, and is informed by the best available evidence.
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Support: Em Gonzalez
