Publications

This document provides an overview of the Ecological Integrity Assessment Framework, a methodology to guide planning for the conservation of biological and ecological resources in U.S. National Parks. The framework is proposed as a tool for the National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, in pursuit of its goals to develop service-wide products that improve management of biological resources in parks, and maintain a broad ecosystem-based framework for park management. The Ecological Integrity Assessment Framework combines aspects of the conservation planning processes developed by NatureServe and The Nature Conservancy; and rests on established ecological theory as well as on the experiences of these two and many other conservation organizations worldwide. The document identifies those programs of the National Park Service for which the proposed methodology would provide a complementary or significantly expanded set of tools to guide the conservation of biological and ecological resources. It then summarizes the core concepts of the methodology and describes its key elements. It concludes with recommendations on how the National Park Service might further explore the methodology and its potential for application throughout the Service.