Facilitating Ecosystem Stewardship

The Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) is a part of the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Program. What does that mean? It means we collect data that measures ecosystem changes at the eight coastal national parks in our network. Our nation’s North Atlantic coast is a landscape of in-betweens. There are salt marshes and estuaries, where land meets ocean and freshwater meets saltwater. There are dense forests and miles of shoreline, where people cross paths with wildlife. In these places of dynamic intersection, change happens everywhere and all the time.

Our role in collecting scientific data to better understand change is more important than ever as countries and communities pursue solutions to global climate change. By taking inventory on which species rely on our parks, and monitoring the health of our parks’ natural resources, NCBN helps ensure that future generations have the opportunities we do to appreciate our country’s lifegiving landscapes.