Many researchers have been drawn to Big Bend National Park's unique landscape. Unique geology, diverse flora and fauna, and a long record of human habitation all provide opportunities to increase the scientific knowledge about the natural and cultural resources found here. The National Park Service recognizes the scientific value of parks and encourages research when it is consistent with NPS policies; some of our current research needs are highlighted in one of the links to the right.

An additional emphasis on research here is the designation of Big Bend National Park as a Biosphere Reserve in 1976. The United Nations Man and the Biosphere Program fosters harmonious relationships between humans and the biosphere through domestic and international cooperation in interdisciplinary research.

Last year, scientists worked on over 100 studies in Big Bend, one of the most studied parks in the National Park System. Each spring, research from the past year is summarized in an Annual Investigator's Report.