Ecosystems Mission Area

The Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA) is one of six mission areas of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). EMA provides independent biological, ecological, and environmental-health science that informs management of public lands and natural resources overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI).

History

Origins (1849–1972)

DOI was created in 1849 to manage federal lands and resources.
Congress established the USGS in 1879, initially to conduct nationwide geologic mapping.
Beginning in the 1930s, USGS launched Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRUs) with land-grant universities to train conservation scientists and conduct applied wildlife research.
The Endangered Species Act spurred demand for nationwide surveys of plants and animals.
In 1975 USGS opened the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin, to investigate wildlife-disease outbreaks.

National Biological Survey and Biological Resources Division (1993–2009)

In 1993 DOI consolidated biological research from several bureaus into the National Biological Survey (NBS) to provide “a sound scientific basis” for resource management. Three years later the NBS was transferred to USGS as the Biological Resources Division (BRD). BRD expanded nationwide ecosystem programs, including:

North American Breeding Bird Survey (continental bird-trend monitoring since 1966).
Gap Analysis Project for mapping species–habitat “gaps” in the conservation estate.
An enlarged network of CRUs (now 43 units in 41 states).

Creation of the Ecosystems Mission Area (2010)

USGS reorganised in October 2010, moving from discipline-based divisions to six integrated mission areas. The BRD's functions were absorbed into the new Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA).

2015 – USGS merged the National Wetlands Research Center (Lafayette, LA) and the Southeast Ecological Science Center (Gainesville, FL) to create the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC).
2020 – The Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC), the Land Change Science/Climate R&D program, and the Environmental Health Program were realigned under EMA, broadening its climate- and contaminant-science portfolio.

Recent developments (2020s)

EMA now focuses on climate resilience, invasive species, emerging wildlife diseases, wildfire and drought impacts, and data modernisation. In 2024 USGS released Annual NLCD, providing nationwide land-cover maps for every year 1985–2023 to track habitat change.

Programs and research

Biological Threats – invasive species, wildlife disease, and biosecurity. Hosts the public Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database and environmental-DNA early-warning tools.
Climate Adaptation Science Centers – one national and nine regional CASCs that co-produce applied climate-impact research with managers and tribes.
Cooperative Research Units – federal–state–university partnerships training graduate students and delivering decision-support science.
Land Management Research – ecological effects of energy, forestry, recreation, and urban development.
Species Management Research – population dynamics, habitat requirements, and recovery metrics for game and non-game species.
Environmental Health – contaminants, harmful algal blooms, and zoonotic pathogens.
Land Change Science – remote-sensing analyses such as the National Land Cover Database (NLCD).

Scientific contributions

Long-term datasets (e.g., Breeding Bird Survey) underpin population-trend assessments.
Discovery of the fungal pathogen causing white-nose syndrome in bats (NWHC).
Invasive-species risk mapping (zebra & quagga mussels) and nationwide NAS alerts.
Open-access land-cover products (NLCD and Annual NLCD) enable quantification of wildfire, drought, and urban expansion.

Partnerships

EMA collaborates with DOI bureaus (NPS, FWS, BLM), NOAA, EPA, NASA, state wildlife agencies, NGOs (for example The Nature Conservancy), and international partners (Canadian Wildlife Service, CONABIO) on cross-border monitoring programmes such as the Breeding Bird Survey.

Impact

EMA science supports implementation of the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and federal invasive-species policy. Its impartial data guide land-use planning, wildfire-risk forecasts, and coastal-resilience strategies across the United States.

Timeline

Year	Milestone
1849	DOI established.
1879	USGS created.
1935	First Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit founded at Iowa State University.
1973	Endangered Species Act enacted.
1975	National Wildlife Health Center established.
1993	National Biological Survey created.
1996	NBS transferred to USGS as Biological Resources Division.
2010	Ecosystems Mission Area formally established during USGS reorganisation.
2015	Wetland and Aquatic Research Center formed by merging NWRC and SESC.
2020	Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Land Change Science, and Environmental Health programs realigned under EMA.
2024	First release of Annual National Land Cover Database (1985–2023).

References

1 2 3 4 5 "The Road to Biology at the USGS". U.S. Geological Survey. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 3 4 "Cooperative Research Units". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 3 "History of the NWHC". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 3 4 "History of WERC". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 3 "North American Breeding Bird Survey". U.S. Geological Survey. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 "Aligning USGS Senior Leadership Structure with the USGS Science Strategy" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. 2010. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 "We Are WARC". U.S. Geological Survey. 2015. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
1 2 3 4 "Annual National Land Cover Database". U.S. Geological Survey. 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
↑ "Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[RoadBiology-1] 1 2 3 4 5 "The Road to Biology at the USGS". U.S. Geological Survey. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[CRU-2] 1 2 3 4 "Cooperative Research Units". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[NWHC-3] 1 2 3 "History of the NWHC". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[WERCHist-4] 1 2 3 4 "History of WERC". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[BBS-5] 1 2 3 "North American Breeding Bird Survey". U.S. Geological Survey. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[FS3066-6] 1 2 "Aligning USGS Senior Leadership Structure with the USGS Science Strategy" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. 2010. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[WARC-7] 1 2 "We Are WARC". U.S. Geological Survey. 2015. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[NLCD-8] 1 2 3 4 "Annual National Land Cover Database". U.S. Geological Survey. 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-01.

[9] "Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-06-01.