From DNA-sampling robots and invasive species maps to genetic libraries and mosquito birth control, USGS scientists are hard at work building up ecological infrastructure for the nation.

What kind of infrastructure do you need to build resilient ecosystems? The first things that comes to mind might be greenways and wildlife corridors, such as a wildlife overpass across a highway or a fish ladder around a dam. But not all infrastructure is made of concrete. From computer code to networks of people, all types of infrastructure are important for supporting resilient ecosystems.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden in November 2021, allocated to the Department of the Interior $905 million for Ecosystem Restoration and $1.5 billion for managing Wildland Fire. These investments aim to improve the functioning, resilience, and ecological adaptability of ecosystems. The Department of the Interior is responsible for managing many of the nation’s most majestic landscapes and ecosystems, and these investments will help ensure these ecosystems can survive and thrive now and into the future. Our job at the USGS is to conduct research and develop tools to ensure that ecosystem restoration and fire management is informed by science. A portion of the ecosystem-related funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is devoted to science that improves, restores, and connects ecosystems and culturally important lands, such as monitoring tools, field experiments, maps, and online databases. 

USGS scientists are working on a variety of ecosystems projects supported by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments, covering issues including wildland fire, invasive species, resilient recreation, restoration of mined lands, and revegetation of ecosystems across the nation.

See ten USGS ecosystems projects that will enhance our Nation’s infrastructure