Large-Scale Restoration Science
Large-Scale Restoration Science
Alaska Bioregions and Arctic
Coastal Ecosystems
Deserts
Freshwater Systems
Grasslands: Great Plains and Prairie Potholes
Western Forests and Mountains
USGS works collaboratively with partners to improve the stewardship and restoration of ecosystems across the country. Many of these projects are large-scale, crossing multiple organizational and state boundaries and occasionally bridging scientific and engineering disciplines. The primary outcomes of these projects are restoring critical ecosystems and their biological communities.
Priority Landscapes
Priority Landscapes
USGS works collaboratively with partners to improve the stewardship and restoration of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the country. The potential of this work is revitalizing local economies and improving the quality and safety of life. Some of the science projects are within a dedicated sub-program known as Priority Ecosystem Science (PES).
Management and Restoration Science
Management and Restoration Science
The Nation’s ecosystems are complex, dynamic, and exposed to a rapidly changing climate among other threats. USGS scientists study how ecosystems function, the impacts of stressors, and make predictions about their future.
Filter Total Items: 227
Priority Landscapes: RESTORE--Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act
USGS scientists in the Gulf of America region conduct research that investigate the past, present and future trajectories of coastal ecosystems, the stressors that impact those ecosystems, and restoration and management alternatives that aim to recover and sustain ecosystem functions and services. Our researchers are engaged in restoration programs across the Gulf, including those spurred after...
Priority Landscapes: Midcontinent Migration Connectivity Collaborative (Platte River)
The Platte PES focuses on restoration of the Central Platte river in Nebraska which has been designated as Critical Habitat for the survival and recovery of the Endangered whooping crane. USGS conducts research which informs the rehabilitation of the structure and function of habitat used by whooping cranes. The Platte PES is an element within the larger Midcontinent Migration Connectivity...
Priority Landscapes: Greater Everglades
The Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Sciences Program (GEPES) in USGS was established to conduct long-term research, monitoring, and modeling to provide science to inform Everglades restoration decisions and meet natural resource management goals. The program is one of several placed-based efforts in the USGS that focuses resources and science in “iconic” landscapes to support restoration and...
Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022
Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Spring Fish Slam event in southwest Florida. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.
Lake Superior Beach Nourishment and Near-Shore Bathymetric Surveys of Minnesota Point at Duluth, Minnesota
The shoreline, beaches, and infrastructure in Duluth, Minnesota have been degraded along the Minnesota Point barrier island because of high water levels and heavy wave action. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is exploring the beneficial use of dredge material for beach nourishment on the Lake Superior side of the barrier island.
Knowledge Synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Science
WARC researchers have developed a literature review of science on the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow focused on topics relevant to upcoming management decisions.
Ecological Modeling in Support of the Lake Okeechobee Water Management
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling team will be running a suite of ecological models to evaluate scenarios and provide insight into how alternative restorations plans compare, indicate whether alternatives could lead to unintended consequences, and determine effects of alternatives that could conflict with other goals.
Biological Soil Crust ("Biocrust") Science
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are commonly found on the soil surface in arid and semi-arid ecosystems (collectively called drylands). Biocrusts can consist of mosses, cyanobacteria, lichens, algae, and microfungi, and they strongly interact with the soil. These organisms or consortium of disparate organisms, depending on the specific biocrust, are important to the functioning of ecosystems...
Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) Program for the Greater Everglades
Goals of the ATLSS Program are to help achieve a better understanding of components of the Everglades ecosystem, to provide an integrative tool for empirical studies, and to apply these tools to an adaptive management framework.
Biological Objectives for the Gulf Coast: Biological Planning Units & Target Species Population Objectives
The USGS partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its conservation partners to develop 16 Biological Planning Units (BPU) and six Aquatic Extensions and compile population objectives for 166 species that are representative of habitats within each BPU.
Exploring the Potential for Conservation Lands in Middle Mississippi River Floodplains to Mitigate Flood Flows for Ecosystem Services
Reconnection of floodplains to their rivers has been considered a fundamentally beneficial ecological practice.
Assessing Environmental Stress in Mature Mangrove Stands: Linkages to Nutrient Loading
WARC Researchers are comparing tree and root growth, soil CO2 flux, and surface elevation change between fertilized and unfertilized mangrove forests to assess the potential impact of increased nutrient loading and to help rate mangrove stand vulnerability.