![Channels in the Sundarbans mangrove forest Channels in the Sundarbans mangrove forest](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218003548im_/https://www.globalchange.gov/sites/globalchange/files/bangladesh_channels.jpg)
USGCRP’s Interagency Groups are the Program’s primary vehicle for coordinating and implementing global change research activities within and across agencies. Working group topics span a range of interconnected global change issues and approaches to understanding and informing responses to changing environmental conditions.
Interagency Groups are designed to bring agencies together to plan, develop, and implement coordinated activities. They allow public officials to communicate with each other on emerging research directions within their agencies, the needs of their stakeholders, and best practices learned from agency activities. Together, these functions allow agencies to work in a more coordinated and effective manner.
USGCRP’s Interagency Groups are overseen by the Subcommittee on Global Change Research and are composed of representatives from federal departments and agencies responsible for activities in each research area.
USGCRP is also encouraging additional interagency collaboration around three focus areas that reflect current Program priorities: the intersection of climate-related global change with the water cycle, coasts, and human health.
USGCRP’s existing interagency groups serve as the home for coordinating the scoping and implementation of activities in support of each of these focus areas. Activities in support of the water cycle, coasts, and health focus areas are being coordinated by the following groups, respectively: the Interagency Integrated Water Cycle Group, the Coasts discussion group, and the Interagency Crosscutting Group on Climate Change and Human Health. Each of these groups is moving forward with the development of an agenda for their focus area.