Natural Resource Challenge
The National Park Service's Action Plan for Preserving Natural Resources
The people of this nation have inherited an astounding wealth of forests, seas, rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, grasslands, and the plants and animals that live there. An eminent biologist predicts that someday our nation's flora and fauna will become as important as its art, its language, and its achievements as a culture. As a nation, we have already set aside our parks to preserve these precious resources and pass them on to our progeny.
We in the National Park Service (NPS) have been charged with the trust of preserving these resources since our creation in 1916. For most of the 20th century, we have practiced a curious combination of active management and passive acceptance of natural systems and processes, while becoming a superb visitor services agency. In the 21st century that management style clearly will be insufficient to save our natural resources. Parks are becoming increasingly crowded remnants of primitive America in a fragmented landscape, threatened by invasions of nonnative species, pollution from near and far, and incompatible uses of resources in and around parks.