National Park Service
Research Projects

The National Park System (NPS) was established more than 100 years ago to protect diverse ecosystems. ​​Biodiverse regions are important for several reasons, including the intrinsic value of biodiverse areas for human well-being, healthy ecosystem function, and the preservation of species into the future.

We are actively collaborating with the NPS to conserve and protect National Parks through the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) methods. Environmental DNA can greatly complement traditional species monitoring  by enabling the detection of thousands of species at once including plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other microbes. This level of biodiversity can be difficult to monitor using traditional observations, but incredibly important for predicting ecosystem function, integrity, and resilience.