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Biological Resources Division
Strategic Science Plan



September 3, 1996

INTRODUCTION

MISSION

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF BRD SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND INDICATORS

SCIENTIFIC AREAS AND PROGRAMS

INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION NEEDS AND THE PLANNING AND REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS

PROMOTING QUALITY SCIENCE

CONCLUSION

Congress has mandated that the Biological Resource Division be merged into the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on or before October 1, 1996 as the Biological Resources Division (BRD). This Strategic Science Plan was written with the responsibilities of the BRD to its partner bureaus and states in mind, and it is anticipated that these will continue to be the driving force behind the science activities of the BRD.

INTRODUCTION

The mission of the Biological Resources Division (BRD) is to work with others to provide the scientific understanding and technologies needed to support the sound management and conservation of our Nation's biological resources. Fulfilling this mission depends on effectively balancing the immediate need for information to guide management of biological resources with the need for technical assistance and long-range, strategic information to understand and predict emerging patterns and trends in ecological systems. BRD programs were developed to provide the appropriate depth and breadth of objective science to meet the information needs of resource managers, who encounter many complex environmental problems driven by an array of biological, physical, social, and economic forces that interact across diverse temporal and spatial scales.

The primary responsibility of the BRD is to assist resource and land managers, particularly in the Department of the Interior (DOI), by providing them with sound biological information and with assistance in applying the information to their needs. The primary means of gathering this information is through the use of scientific methods applied to monitoring resources and conducting experiments. Subsequently, pertinent information must be made available to those who must use it to make important resource management decisions. This Strategic Science Plan provides general guidelines regarding the major scientific emphases of the BRD and major approaches to meeting the Division's responsibilities. A companion Science Implementation Plan outlines specific actions and pathways to accomplish the Division's goals.

This Strategic Science Plan addresses those issues that are paramount in acquiring and disseminating information and as such its focus is limited to BRD's science activities and does not include related efforts such as education and training. The Strategic Science Plan represents the collective vision of BRD scientists, science managers, support staff, and partners -- it defines who we are and what we do. It outlines our primary responsibilities to DOI partner agencies, and our obligations and accountability to the scientific community and the public. It establishes ambitious goals, objectives, and mechanisms to measure progress and success. It prescribes a multidisciplinary agenda with scientific concentrations and programs that address identified partner agency needs including high priority short-term needs for daily management and important long-term needs for the conservation of the Nation s biological resources.

The Plan presents the rationale for comprehensive scientific planning, provides guidelines for independent peer review and competition, and endorses the importance of integrated science activities among the elements of the BRD, and with collaborators inside and outside the agency. Recognizing that BRD scientists represent the intellectual capital of the Division, the Plan calls for effective means to evaluate and reward scientific activities that address the goals of the Division. The result will be an efficient, coherent flow of biological information from scientists to managers that will promote wise resource management decisions.

MISSION

To work with others to provide the scientific understanding and technologies needed to support the sound management and conservation of our Nation's biological resources.

In a rapidly changing world, the highest quality science is needed to guide the wise stewardship of the important natural resources in our national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands. There is growing public awareness of the threats to the integrity of ecosystems from habitat loss and fragmentation, land use change, environmental contaminants, and the invasion of non-indigenous species. To minimize threats to the Nation's biological resources, accurate, comprehensive, and timely information on populations, communities, and ecosystems is crucial. By understanding the status and trends of the Nation's biological resources, we can anticipate and prevent costly ecological disasters while improving the quality of life for our citizens. The BRD also has a responsibility to engage in international science activities in recognition of the global nature of many important resource issues.

Both public and private organizations conduct science useful to resource management, but as part of a Federal agency, the BRD has a unique capability to integrate the work of many scientists in diverse locations so that difficult issues and widespread problems can be broadly addressed. This special role, coupled with obligations to the biotic resources of federally managed lands, defines the essence of Federal science as it pertains to the BRD.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF BRD SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

The goals and objectives for the BRD flow logically from the Division's mission and relate directly to the Division's core science activities; they translate the Division's mission into actions. For the purposes of this Strategic Science Plan, goals are broadly conceived targets or ends toward which the Division works to achieve its mission. Collectively, goals provide direction for focusing the agency's activities. Objectives are specific tangible and measurable efforts to achieve goals. If all of the objectives for a given goal are accomplished, the goal should be achieved. These goals and objectives operate over a 5 to 10-year period.

GOAL 1. Assess and report the condition of the Nation's biological resources.
Objectives:

  1. Initiate a systematic process for working with resource managers and other partners to identify critical data and gaps in the current knowledge of biological resource status and trends.
  2. Develop partnerships at all levels with Federal, state, university, museum, and other cooperators to conduct surveys and monitoring programs at multiple scales applicable to important management and conservation objectives.
  3. Develop, evaluate, and disseminate new methods and technical capabilities for assessing status and trends of biological resources of concern to the Department of the Interior and cooperating states.
  4. Develop new and improved means to provide results to resource managers, converting data to synoptic information, and communicating findings in an accessible, useful format.
  5. Report regularly to the Nation on the "Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources."

GOAL 2. Characterize natural processes and identify factors that influence the quality or quantity of the Nation's biological resources at all levels of biological organization.
Objectives:

 

  1. Establish multidisciplinary science teams to identify and investigate key natural and human-induced processes which affect species and populations and the structure and function of ecological systems.
  2. Expand existing efforts to evaluate the impact of non-native species on native species and ecosystem structure and function.
  3. Work with other U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) divisions to develop and promote an integrated national program to characterize and interpret land cover and land use history and the impact of land use change on biological and other natural resources.

GOAL 3. Facilitate sound management of the Nation's biological resources by collaborating with partners in all phases of our work.
Objectives:

 

  1. Continue and improve the mechanisms for collaborative identification and definition of high-priority biological information needs of Department of the Interior bureaus, States, and other partners.
  2. Actively promote and reward partnerships, both within the USGS and with external entities, to develop scientific information specific to addressing natural resource problems.
  3. Develop predictive models to assist resource managers and establish multi-disciplinary teams to work with managers in an adaptive management framework to monitor the consequences of management decisions.
  4. Develop and evaluate restoration strategies and techniques for degraded ecosystems and declining populations.

GOAL 4. Provide national and international leadership for the development of a biological information infrastructure to provide access to, disseminate, share, and use biological data, information, and technology.
Objectives:

 

  1. Establish partnerships with other government agencies, universities, museums, international organizations, the private sector and others to support efforts to make more sources of biological data and information electronically accessible.
  2. Establish standards and methodologies for biological data collection and documentation to facilitate comparison, exchange, and integration of databases.
  3. Accelerate efforts to develop new information products targeted to the needs of partners, resource managers, scientists, educators, and the public.
  4. Identify, develop, adapt, and implement technological applications for gathering, analyzing, integrating, and displaying biological data in support of natural resources management.

GOAL 5. Integrate biological resources research, inventory, and monitoring efforts with those directed at other natural resources, throughout the USGS.
Objectives:

 

  1. Identify collaborative opportunities in which several USGS divisions can jointly contribute to scientific activities carried out in support of biological resources stewardship.
  2. Develop and implement a strategy for integrating earth and life sciences data in information products which report on the status and trends of the Nation's natural resources.
  3. Adopt administrative and operational policies and procedures which encourage and support cross-divisional communication and collaboration as a way of doing business within the USGS.
  4. Encourage inter-divisional efforts by rewarding successful collaboration, and identifying and eliminating roadblocks as they arise.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND INDICATORS

Objectives from the Strategic Science Plan are linked to an annual performance plan as described in the BRD Science Implementation Plan. The annual performance plan includes measurable performance indicators that provide the basis for comparing Division-wide results with established strategic goals that relate to the quality of BRD science, the relevance of the science, and the quantity and timeliness of the information provided in relation to that required by resource managers.

SCIENTIFIC AREAS AND PROGRAMS

Historically, biological research associated with resource management has concentrated on the particular taxa, habitats, or geographic regions of interest. As issues pertaining to resource management have become more complex, there is the recognition that questions pertaining to a specific resource can only be answered adequately by considering them in a comprehensive ecological context.

Thus, it is appropriate to identify broad areas of activities that describe the types of science conducted by the BRD, and align projects with broadly similar goals. Scientific Areas are groups of related programs. Programs define the major areas of scientific activity within the BRD. Programs provide the primary focus of scientific direction and form the intellectual framework for the agency. Programs also provide an opportunity to plan and promote integration and cohesion among individual science projects, and allow for periodic evaluation of the BRD s accomplishments, where the Division is headed with regard to identified programs, and what capabilities are needed to sustain advances in biological resource science.

BRD Scientific Areas and Programs are designed to describe comprehensively the activities that scientists undertake in pursuit of BRD's Goals and Objectives. They do not correspond one-for-one with these Goals and Objectives. In fact, numerous Scientific Areas and Programs are expected to contribute substantively to achieving each of BRD's Goals and Objectives. In the following list, Scientific Areas are identified by Roman numerals while Programs are identified by letters.

 

  1. Monitoring: Status and Trends of Biological Systems

    Examine spatial and temporal trends at all levels of organization in biological systems. Program activities include mapping, monitoring, methods and protocol development, and reports synthesizing information on the status and trends of our Nation's flora, fauna, and ecosystems. Monitoring is also a means of determining the effectiveness of policies and management actions in achieving desired objectives. Often, management and monitoring programs are designed in tandem to provide for feedback and continual improvement.

    1. Genetic diversity: Characterize genetic variability and taxonomic status.
    2. Status and trends of populations and communities: Determine the status and spatial and temporal trends of populations and communities. Provide information important for management programs and for detecting incipient threats to population and community stability.
    3. Status and trends of habitats, landscapes, and ecosystems: Inventory the diversity, key components, and processes of habitats and ecosystems, and monitor natural and human-induced changes in biological systems.
  2. Research: Investigations of Biological Systems

    Provide the knowledge for characterizing and understanding biological systems as a basis for management.

    1. Molecular studies: Provide new information pertaining to genetics, viral, and microbial conditions and physiochemical patterns which are relevant to the management of living resources.
    2. Ecology of species: Provide information for understanding morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations, and the development and environmental tolerance levels of organisms.
    3. Ecology of populations and communities: Study factors regulating the distribution, abundance, and condition of organisms and communities.
    4. Habitat, Landscape, and Ecosystem Dynamics: Investigate interactions and exchanges of materials and biota within and among ecosystems. Understand interactions between abiotic and biotic components and the development and dynamics of spatial heterogeneity across landscapes. Identify, explain, and predict the ecological consequences of long-term local changes to environments. Program goals include assessing the vulnerability of ecological systems to adverse impacts of changes in land use and providing the information needed to mitigate these impacts.
  3. Impacts: Threats to Biological Resources

    Investigate potential threats to biological systems with the purpose of understanding causes, estimating effects, predicting impacts, and developing solutions.

    1. Contaminants: Investigate the environmental fate, biological accumulation, and adverse effects of contaminants, broadly defined to include toxic substances, sediments, and excess nutrients. Investigations will assess patterns of contamination in priority ecosystems, identify factors affecting biological uptake, assess effects on native biota, and facilitate the identification of remedial measures.
    2. Habitat alteration: Study impacts of changes to the environment such as habitat loss and fragmentation, deforestation, fire suppression, hydrologic change, erosion, and human manipulation of biological systems and its effect on urban wildlife.
    3. Invasive species: Investigate causes, effects, prevention and management of the spread of invasive and non-indigenous organisms. Capabilities include determination of ecological and economic impacts of invasions, biological impacts on native fauna and flora, factors controlling invasions at varying spatial scales, likely social responses, and institutional and legal frameworks for addressing the problems. The ultimate goal is to develop effective management solutions.
    4. Disease: Conduct research to advance scientific understanding of the effects of disease on species and populations, and aspects of the prevention and management of disease in free-ranging biota. Also included are taxonomic assessments, databases on disease, biological repositories of disease agents, surveillance systems for the timely detection of emerging problems, monitoring systems to document changes in the distribution, status, and trends in disease, technical assistance and consultations involving disease diagnosis, interpretation, information transfer, and training.
    5. Global Change: Analyze the effects of changes in global-scale environmental factors and their effect on natural resources. In addition, ways in which natural biota affect the physical world should be investigated. This effort includes involvement in international activities, and collaboration with a wide range of scientists.
  4. Stewardship: Application of Science Information to Conservation and Management

    Develop means to apply ecological information to the management of biological systems, in cooperation with management agencies.

    1. Design and evaluation of management alternatives: Evaluate existing methods and develop new methods for managing populations, restoring degraded habitats, and evaluating the outcomes of management alternatives. Examples include adaptive management, bioremediation, and restoration ecology.
    2. Technology and methods development: Develop innovative tools, technologies, and statistically reliable methods and protocols to assess biological resources.
    3. Human dimensions and socioeconomics: Generate information to assist in balancing social and economic needs with land and water management and conservation actions. Projects couple socioeconomic analyses with natural resource investigations to assist decision-makers in such areas as allocation of water resources, land-use planning, evaluating wildlife management (including urban wildlife), endangered species policies, and other studies that address human attitudes towards biological resources.
  5. Communication: Management and Distribution of Biological Resource Data and Information

    An essential purpose of the BRD, and the ultimate goal of all agency programs, is the transfer of scientific information to biological resource managers and others interested in biological resource conservation.

    1. Develop tools and standards for information transfer: Develop tools and standards to transfer scientific information to biological resource managers, scientists, partners, educators, and the public. Facilitate the distribution of the tools.
    2. Dissemination: Facilitate the distribution of biological data, information products, and expertise, through a variety of media, targeted to the needs of resource managers, partners, scientists, educators, and the public.
    3. Facilitate effective use of information: Assist in translating scientific information into accessible and usable formats and ensuring that products reach intended users. This program includes environmental education.

INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION NEEDS AND THE PLANNING AND REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS

Comprehensive science planning and integration are essential elements of all BRD work. For the BRD to accomplish its goals and objectives, it is vital that:

 

By employing this approach when conducting science, BRD will: (1) create a cohesive framework for individual studies, ensuring that they relate to one another and to a larger effort of similar scientific inquiry; (2) make the most effective use of operating funds and personnel; (3) stimulate scientific interchange; (4) identify and address gaps in the information base; and (5) create mechanisms to provide sound decisions regarding changes in research direction and emphasis.

Scientific integration requires information exchange, collaboration, and generation of pertinent results. True integration exists when well-defined linkages are established and resources are shared. Integration must occur at all levels -- project, center or unit, regional, and programmatic levels, and with our partners and other interested parties. Scientific integration should be built into all BRD activities, from their initiation, and should be an important component of comprehensive science planning. The BRD encourages scientific integration in several categories:

Three primary elements of the BRD's comprehensive science planning and integration strategy are an effective information needs management process, a program planning and review process, and encouragement for the use of well-defined science planning approaches at all levels.

 

  1. Bureau Information Needs Process

    A critical step in science planning and integration is the use of the Bureau Information Needs (BIN) process to determine the priority information requirements of resource managers. This involves input from DOI resource management agencies regarding their needs for scientific information and local level interactions between BRD scientists and resource managers. Whereas the BIN process is currently directed at assessing the information needs of DOI resource management bureaus, plans are underway to expand the BIN process to include participation by state resource management agencies. The BIN process developed by BRD is still evolving as interim plans are implemented, evaluated and improved. The following four key elements will ensure that such a system meets the future needs of the BRD and its partners:

    • Identification and prioritization of science information needs at local, regional, and national levels. There should be substantial involvement by partner bureaus in this step. Broad participation will reveal needs that are similar across bureaus, and situations where many smaller issues can be combined into a larger, more comprehensive scientific initiative.
    • Consulting with partner bureaus to identify means of addressing priority information needs. This step should include all organizational levels within the BRD, and consultation and regular communication with partner bureaus to ensure that BRD-planned activities will address the needs originally identified by partners. Communication between individual scientists and appropriate partner bureau contacts is especially encouraged.
    • Presentation of results to partner bureaus. This step includes two components. Partner bureaus should be provided with regular reports on BRD activities that are being conducted to address the needs they have identified. Secondly, the products of BRD scientific activities should be provided to resource managers and other partners in a timely fashion and in a form that is useful to them.
    • Evaluation of the BIN Process. Partner bureaus, and others who have requested and received scientific information, should be involved with BRD in evaluating the effectiveness of the BIN process in identifying, prioritizing and addressing scientific information needs. Evaluation of the quality and usefulness of specific scientific products is undertaken through the program planning and review process.
  2. Program Planning and Review

    This Plan identifies a set of Scientific Areas and Programs (see above), clusters of activities which share common issues. A process of planning and review should be initiated for each Program to establish its conceptual framework and specific scientific goals and goals that pertain to the information needs of the BRD and its partners. The initial planning effort for each Program will be especially important, as it will identify the primary issues at hand, and reveal what the BRD is doing to address those issues. Subsequent iterations of the process will serve to evaluate progress toward the Program goals, and provide information to make decisions on where shifts in emphasis should occur. The information gathered from this exercise, along with information from the BIN process, should serve as the basis of long term, strategic shifts in emphasis within the Division.

    The process of review and evaluation must recognize both the mission of the BRD to address partner bureau needs and the key, contemporary issues pertaining to the Program which have been identified by the larger scientific community. Participants in a program planning and review process should include self-selected BRD scientists, other experts in the appropriate discipline(s), managers, and representatives of partner bureaus.

    The program planning and review process should provide answers to the following questions:

    • What are the key scientific questions and issues related to this Program? What is the current state of scientific knowledge on these questions and issues?
    • What is the role of the BRD within the larger scientific community in addressing these questions? What activities are currently being conducted within the BRD to address these questions? How does this Program fit into the larger mission of the BRD?
    • How effective has the Program been in providing answers to these key questions? What products have been developed? How have they been disseminated? What is their value to resource managers?
    • What are the goals and objectives of this Program over the next 3-5 years in addressing some, or all, of the key questions identified above?

    Because the new approach employing Programs is based on ecological disciplines rather than specific taxa or habitats, there are few extant sets of unifying goals associated with them. Therefore, in the first cycle of the program planning and review process, a great deal of effort should focus on the definition of the Program -- answering questions under the first two points above. In subsequent cycles, less effort will be required in these areas and more emphasis can be placed on refining BRD activities to address the goals of each Program.

  3. Comprehensive Science Planning

    The entire range of science conducted in the BRD, from studies focused on specific taxa or habitats, to large scale, inter-disciplinary projects would benefit from comprehensive science planning. Using the results of the BRD-wide program planning and review effort, individual units should develop comprehensive science plans based on their own areas of responsibility and emphasis that reflect the identified BRD goals and objectives for appropriate Programs. Typically, such comprehensive science plans should be developed for at least a five-year time horizon and should be revisited on an annual basis.

    Such a comprehensive science planning process will, by necessity, be iterative in nature. No rigid system will suit the entire range of BRD scientific activities. However, the goal should be the development of a conceptual model or plan at the appropriate systems level (e.g., population, ecosystem, watershed) that provides both a rationale and an outline for the proposed Program. The identification of key management concerns and related scientific questions, assessing the adequacy of existing information, establishing priorities for the development of new information and, where appropriate, forming partnerships to undertake required studies will need to be revisited regularly. The following six elements should be incorporated into the development of such a plan:

    • a scoping process to define the current state of knowledge, articulate the key science and management questions to be addressed, identify appropriate partners, and incorporate their input into the plan. This process should also identify ways in which the activities will address information needs of managers and Program elements identified in the most recent program planning and review effort.
    • proposal development to frame the questions, identify testable hypotheses, prepare a study plan, identify appropriate roles for all partners, and identify an appropriate time line for accomplishing the goals.
    • implementation of the project.
    • product preparation.
    • product transfer.
    • evaluation and application of results through continued communication with and assistance to managers.

PROMOTING QUALITY SCIENCE

The BRD continuously strives to improve the quality of its science, the relevance of its activities, and the ability to meet information needs identified by its partners. Peer review is used to inform and guide many aspects of BRD science, from the initial stages of project planning through the publication and transfer of information. Competition can sharpen the focus of a project and stimulate scientists in a manner that can enhance the effectiveness of projects designed to meet emerging information needs. A reward system based equally on high scientific achievement and partner satisfaction recognizes activities that truly embody and advance the agency's mission. Combined, these three elements promote the development of the highest quality scientific understanding and technologies to support the sound management and conservation of our Nation s biological resources.

 

  1. Peer Review

    When properly conducted, scientific peer review of proposals, publications, and ongoing programs is a proven mechanism for promoting the quality, relevance, and productivity of scientific research. The essence of peer review is independence (i.e., those undertaking the review have nothing to gain by the outcome of the review) and the selection of qualified scientific peers.

    Independent, scientific peer review within the BRD will provide constructive evaluation of technical merit, feasibility, relevance, progress, and quality of the following products:

    • proposals for scientific activities (e.g., research, monitoring programs, and techniques development);
    • long-term research and monitoring activities;
    • scientific reports including manuals, standard operating procedures and other results prior to implementation;
    • in some cases, videos, motion pictures and slide presentations before release; and
    • technical information on which management and regulatory decisions by other agencies are based, to assess quality and completeness (as opposed to correctness of management decisions).
  2. Competition

    To sustain and enhance the quality of its science, the relevance of BRD science projects to its mission, and the ability to meet information needs identified by its partners, the BRD will move toward competitive processes to secure the most effective selection of proposals to address specific information needs. Competition is not the goal of BRD science but rather an aid to decision making when applied to all science activities. The competitive process will serve several functions. By opening the process to include a wide array of scientists, competition brings a broader range of ideas, experience, and expertise to bear on issues of concern to the BRD and partners. Additionally, competition promotes a system of fairness by ensuring that proposals are evaluated for merit by persons with appropriate expertise (scientific peers) and that decisions regarding funding are unbiased. While the Division should employ competitive approaches where appropriate, a significant amount of science activities will address partner needs through non-competitive means.

  3. Assessing and Rewarding Scientific Activities

    Federal scientists are evaluated and rewarded according to explicitly defined criteria. However, many important science activities, such as those outlined in this Plan, are difficult to evaluate and acknowledge under the current system. We expect BRD scientists to embrace the new paradigms outlined in the Plan and therefore we must assess the results appropriately and reward exemplary accomplishments.

    Active implementation of an innovative assessment and reward system for employees, teams, and programs that achieve in a number of areas is an integral part of assuring that the agency maintains a high quality work force. Achievement should be evaluated by factors such as:

    • partner satisfaction (e.g., for technology and information transfer, development of management tools);
    • addressing Program guidelines;
    • effective integration of activities across disciplines and operational areas; and
    • peer recognition of scientific achievement.

CONCLUSION

The Strategic Science Plan for the Biological Resources Division (BRD) is a compilation and distillation of the insight and expertise that resides in the Division's scientists and managers. The process began with Science Dialogues at various science units, and included an intense and fruitful workshop that involved BRD scientists and science managers, and representatives from states and partner bureaus. Several rounds of review and assistance from the field and headquarters staff have resulted in a document that conveys the essence of the science activities of the BRD.

The Plan focuses on the important elements and approaches that make up the scientific endeavors of the BRD. While this is necessary to develop a new paradigm for addressing the information needs of resource managers, it is not sufficient -- the Plan must be sustained with a detailed Implementation Plan. Such a plan is being developed by those directly involved with instituting and managing BRD science activities, and will be appended as the crucial element in ensuring that the goals of the BRD will be met.

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