The State of the Nation's Ecosystems

We all rely on a familiar set of indicators—interest rates, unemployment, inflation, the Dow Jones index, and GDP, for example—to gauge the performance of the national economy. No such measures are currently available to describe the environment.

The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems lays out a blueprint for periodic reporting on the condition and use of ecosystems in the United States. Developed by experts from businesses, environmental organizations, universities, and federal, state, and local government agencies, it is designed to provide policymakers and the general public with a succinct and comprehensive—yet scientifically sound and nonpartisan— view of “how we are doing.” Participants and contributors represent a wide array of political perspectives and include experts from the fields of ecology, chemistry and toxicology, hydrology, oceanography, limnology, use of satellite remote sensing, forestry, farming, range management, and many others. The book identifies the major characteristics of ecosystems that should be tracked through time to provide this view, and where possible, provides information on both current conditions and historic trends. The book also highlights key gaps—situations where data do not exist or have not been assembled to support national reporting. Separate chapters report on coasts and oceans, farmlands, forests, fresh waters, grasslands and shrublands, and urban and suburban areas. These ecosystem-specific indicators are complemented by “core national indicators” that provide a highly aggregated view of overall conditions.

Who should be interested in reading this report?

• Decision makers in natural resource management and environmental policy in federal, state, andlocal government agencies, as well as in environmental organizations, businesses, and tradeassociations
• Academics with a research or teaching interest in environmental quality and ecosystem condition
• Interested laypersons
• Instructors for environmental studies and ecosystems courses, who may also wish to use the volume as a main or supplementary textbook for students to illustrate key aspects of ecosystems in the United States

The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems provides a prescription for “taking the pulse” of America’s lands and waters. It identifies what should be measured, counted, and reported so that decision makers and the public can understand the changes that are occurring in the American landscape.