The program supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate research, technical assistance, education, and training for science-based management of the national park system

This federal Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the National Park Service under the Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System (CFDA 15.945) program, supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate multi-disciplinary research, technical assistance, education, and training for science-based management of the National Park System. The $500,000 award to NatureServe will enable the development of climate change vulnerability assessments, ecosystem resilience mapping, and data on at-risk species and ecosystems across the Southern Appalachian parks. The project outcomes will provide critical information to help state/local governments, tribes, nonprofits, and the public make informed conservation and climate adaptation decisions. This multi-year award, with a performance period from December 2024 to June 2026, is part of the program's broader effort to support collaborative, interdisciplinary research that directly informs the management and preservation of national park resources.

These study units enable multi-disciplinary science and integrated information products across various geographic regions. Natureserve supports vulnerability assessments of species and ecosystems to create adaptation strategies at regional scales. Outcomes from this project will include maps of the (1) severity of climate change for ecosystems across the southern appalachian parks, (2) core areas within natural landscape blocks, (3) ecosystem resilience based on park-specific and regional factors, and (4) data on at-risk species and ecosystems. Beneficiaries include state and local governments, federally recognized indian tribal governments, public and private nonprofit organizations, nonprofit higher education institutions, and the public.