One role of the Natural Areas Association is to be a voice for the profession with legislators, political leadership and other influential figures. We advocate for issues important to our members including improved support and funding of science, policy and research related to natural areas, as well as for support for natural areas professionals themselves.

Our advocacy is especially important in view of the fact that many of our members are government employees, and are prohibited from advocating for themselves.

In the past, we have:

• Met with decision-makers in Washington, D.C. along with the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition, to advocate for funding critical to natural areas and habitat conservation that our members rely on for endangered species protection
• Joined a coalition of organizations to educate legislators on the crucial role of botanical science and practice in effectively managing our nations natural areas
• We helped to spread the word about a publication by our partner, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the Botanical Gardens Conservation International. Assessing Botanical Capacity to Address Grand Challenges in the United States assesses current and future botanical capacity in the U.S., in order to understand the resources available to conserve and manage native plant species and habitat and identify gaps in capacity

Current Efforts

We have plans to expand our advocacy work in the near future, becoming a stronger voice for our community and the lands they protect and manage.

Please let us know how we can be a voice for you and your program!