WHAT NEEDS WILL A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY FOR THE NATION ADDRESS?
A biological survey for the nation will provide information that is critical for addressing a number of issues: Finding ways to preserve the nation’s biological heritage. Achieving this goal requires extensive information on the current status and trends in distribution and abundance of species and on relationships among species, and an understanding of the ecological processes on which they depend. Managing biological resources in a sustainable manner. Sustainable use depends on accurate knowledge of the identity, distributions, and ecology of the species being used and those with which they interact. Maintaining essential ecological services, such as water supply, flood and erosion control, and climate amelioration. We need to understand how natural ecological services operate and to what extent they depend on the biological richness and diversity of ecosystems. Understanding the impact of human settlement patterns (metropolitan growth, renewable land use, and nonrenewable-resource e
