Nov 20 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior, on behalf of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), is soliciting nominations for authors and scientific/technical inputs for the First National Nature Assessment (NNA1). Refer to the NNA1 Draft Prospectus for further information on the scope, topics, and overarching themes for the report. NNA1 will adhere to the Global Change Research Act, Information Quality Act, and Evidence Act requirements for quality, transparency, and accessibility as appropriate for a Highly Influential Scientific Assessment. NNA1 will also adhere to USGCRP standards and guidelines requiring it to be a policy-neutral and policy-relevant product.
Nominations should be submitted via the web address specified below and must be received by the close of this notice January 4, 2024. While we request that scientific/technical inputs be submitted by the close of this notice, they will be accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the development of the report.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was created by Congress in 1990 to “assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.” USGCRP comprises 14 Federal agencies that work together to carry out its legislative mandate. USGCRP is conducting the First National Nature Assessment (NNA1) to assess changes in nature as an aspect of global change. The scope of NNA1 is to assess the status, observed trends, and future projections of America's lands, waters, wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystems and the benefits they provide, including connections to the economy, public health, equity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and national security.
NNA1 development will be transparent and inclusive, offering opportunities for public participation throughout the process. The development of NNA1 is overseen by a Federal Steering Committee (FSC) comprising representatives from each of USGCRP's member agencies. The production and review processes are designed to result in a report that is authoritative, timely, relevant, and policy neutral; valued by authors and users; accessible to the widest possible audience; and fully compliant with the Global Change Research Act and pertinent Federal laws and policies. In August 2023, comments were solicited through a 45-day request for information on the draft National Nature Assessment Prospectus (
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/04/2023-16794/draft-prospectus-for-the-first-national-nature-assessment). Comments received on the draft Prospectus informed the list of potential topics included in Section I of the current request.
Author nominees may be invited to serve as Chapter Lead Authors, Authors, or Technical Contributors to NNA1. Chapter Lead Authors will, with input and guidance from the Federal Steering Committee (FSC), establish author teams comprising Federal and non-Federal experts. A Federal Coordinating Lead Author selected by the FSC will serve as a liaison between the author team and Federal agencies. For more information on author roles, see
https://www.globalchange.gov/nna. Note that other roles may be developed by the FSC on an as needed basis as the report develops.
In addition, this request presents an opportunity to submit relevant scientific/technical inputs to inform the assessment, as well as Indigenous Knowledge inputs for similar use. This request also outlines planned opportunities for the public to engage in the NNA1 development process.
Call for Nominations for Authors -- Nominations are sought for authors with pertinent subject matter expertise or relevant background, including Indigenous Knowledge holders, in at least one of the topics delineated below. Nominees should have a demonstrated history of expertise and proficiency in at least one of the topics delineated below. Nominations are encouraged from all nongovernmental sectors. . . . Nominees may be invited to serve as Chapter Lead Authors, Authors, or Technical Contributors to NNA1.
The NNA1 report use-inspired and knowledge driven and will be organized around key thematic interests identified through Federal agency, public, and Tribal engagement efforts. These themes are detailed in the draft National Nature Assessment Prospectus (
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/04/2023-16794/draft-prospectus-for-the-first-national-nature-assessment). The NNA1 report will include, but is not limited to, the following topics (subject to change):
-- Assessment approach of NNA1
-- The Status, Trends and Future Projections of Nature in the U.S.
-- Status, Trends and Future Projections of Drivers of Change of Nature in the U.S.
-- Nature and Equity
-- Nature and Human Health and Wellbeing
-- Nature and Its Relationship to Cultural Heritage
-- Nature and Safety and Security
-- Nature and the Economy
NNA1 seeks authors with expertise in the following areas (subject to change):
-- Ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and other conservation-relevant biophysical sciences, including those with expertise in the status and trends in biodiversity and ecosystems (including nutrients), culturally important species, and climate adaptation and mitigation.
-- Environmental social science including those with expertise in anthropology, sociology, geography, political science, psychology, and environmental history.
-- Changes in nature as they relate to aspects of domestic safety and security, including natural hazards, desertification, changes in populations of pests and disease, loss of arable land, and other changes in nature that affect food and water security, and that directly or indirectly influence public safety and patterns of human behavior and movements.
-- Connections between nature and human health and well-being, including physical, mental, and public health and well-being.
-- Drivers of change in biodiversity and ecosystems.
-- Economic activities, infrastructure, and employment that are directly or indirectly related to nature, including how changes in nature affect economic benefits, risks, and opportunities.
-- Environmental justice and equity, including but not limited to topics such as access to nature and the benefits of nature, disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards, and equitable access to nature-based solutions.
-- Data visualization and scientific graphics.
-- Further, authors are welcome to nominate themselves for topics not listed above that are consistent with the scope of NNA1.
Call for Relevant Scientific/Technical Inputs To Inform NNA1 -- Submissions of scientific/technical inputs are sought for NNA1. Relevant scientific and/or technical research studies—including observed, modeled, and/or projected changes in nature and/or benefits from nature—are requested. Scientific/technical inputs that are peer-reviewed and published, or accepted for publication, in journals and/or government reports are welcome. Please refer to the NNA1 topics list above to target submissions. Submissions of information for cross-cutting topics are especially encouraged.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-25573