Biological Resources Division
Created to assess, monitor, and research biological resources in United States, the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is the non-regulatory biological research component of the United States Department of the Interior. First created in 1994 as the National Biological Survey (NBS), an independent agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, the NBS was merged with the USGS (also part of the Interior Department) in 1996.
The BRD is the principal biological research and monitoring agency of the federal government. It is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and disseminating biological information in order to support sound management and stewardship of nation's biological and natural resources. It is also directed to foster understanding of biological systems and their benefits to society, and to make biological information available to the public. Although it was created mainly on the impetus of environmental and scientific organizations, the BRD also supports commercial and economic interests in that it seeks to identify opportunities for sustainable resource use. Agriculture and biotechnology are among the industries that stand to benefit from BRD research on new sources of food, fiber, and medicines.
Because it is independent of regulatory agencies—which are responsible for enforcing laws—the BRD has no formal regulatory, management, or enforcement roles.
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