This site is dedicated to understanding and preserving the unique resources of the American Southwest through science and education. It delivers information about the natural and cultural resources of the region and about scientific activities underway. The primary focus is to present the results of research and monitoring to land managers, students, researchers, policy makers, and the interested public, and to promote mission-oriented research within the region.
Birds are an important and lively component of many ecosystems in the American Southwest.
Climate models predict that over the next 100 years, the Southwest will become warmer and even more arid.
Many uniquely adapted reptiles and amphibians inhabit the aquatic and terrestrial habitats of the American Southwest.
Vegetation mapping efforts produce detailed maps of park vegetation types.
The American Southwest has been home to a diversity of cultures for as long as 13,000 years.
Monitoring projects are designed to collect information about resources over time.
Inventories help document the presence/absence, location, or condition of resources in parks.
Several plants in the American Southwest are rare, with very limited ranges or existing in low numbers.
Pinyon-juniper woodland is the most common forest type in the American Southwest
Last updated: February 13, 2018