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A new paradigm for natural resources research: The Conservation Effects Assessment Project

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) was initiated in 2003 to provide a scientific basis for a national assessment of conservation practices by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. This special issue of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation provides a comprehensive overview of the science, technology, and information that are emerging from this new, better-coordinated, environmental-economic-sociopolitical approach to natural resources research. Important accomplishments of CEAP include (1) the establishment of multiple watershed assessment studies to provide insight regarding the value and effects of USDA conservation programs and (2) better coordination of USDA agency efforts to quantitatively evaluate the impact and effectiveness of public investment in various conservation practices. CEAP has also facilitated better communication among the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) watershed research locations that were established during the 20th century to address soil erosion and water conservation issues throughout the United States. Research protocols as well as information gathering, storage, and reporting at each location had evolved independently because of the available human and technical resources. This approach met local and regional needs, but as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and other agencies were faced with developing regionally specific conservation policies at a national scale, it became…