The U.S. Geological Survey’s Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC), formed in 2015, pulls together experts in biology and ecology from around the Southeastern United States and Caribbean. With primary locations in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Gainesville, Florida, WARC scientists pursue relevant and objective research and new approaches and technologies, to build scientific knowledge and provide understanding and tools for wise management and conservation of wetlands and aquatic ecosystems and their associated plant and animal communities throughout the nation and the world, with an emphasis on the Southeast United States, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Beyond the primary centers, research facilities and field stations are located throughout the Southeast United States and Caribbean. This provides WARC scientists easier access to the plants, animals, and ecosystems they study.
The diverse research at WARC reflects the many ways in which science informs modern policy, planning, and management. In addition to the ongoing need for scientific information on environmental issues, managers also need integrated science for the growing number of ecosystem-based management and restoration projects around the nation. WARC serves resource managers, partners, and the general public by fulfilling research needs.
