Management Policies defines National Park Service (NPS) planning as a process that helps define the set of resource conditions, visitor experiences, and management actions that, taken as a whole, best achieve the mandate to preserve resources unimpaired for the enjoyment of present and future generations. The NPS uses planning to make decisions that are logical, data informed, inclusive of public input, and accountable.
The planning framework includes multiple levels of interconnected or complementary plans that guide decisions and comply with relevant laws and policies. The NPS planning process flows from broad-scale comprehensive planning to more specific strategic planning, implementation planning, and annual performance planning and reporting, all of which are grounded in foundation documents.
The NPS planning framework is organized around several key tools and types of planning, which are described in the subsections below:
- Foundation documents (section 2.1)
- Supplemental studies, data, and inventories (section 2.2)
- Comprehensive planning (section 2.3)
- Strategic planning (section 2.5)
- Implementation planning (section 2.6).
2.1 Foundation Documents
Foundation documents establish a clear and shared understanding of an NPS unit’s core mission. Managers use foundation documents as baseline guidance to make consistent decisions and determine priorities. Foundation documents may also be customized and applied to NPS-administered components of National Scenic and National Historic Trails, and NPS-administered rivers of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Foundation documents are subject to Washington Office (WASO) policy reviews (see Chapter 5: Planning Policy Reviews).
Core Components
Foundation documents outline what is most important about the NPS unit and documents the unit’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values (FRVs), and interpretive themes. These four elements are the core components of a foundation document. The core components remain relatively stable over time and guide all future planning efforts. Consistent with section 1.4.5 of the Management Policies, the NPS unit uses the purpose, significance statements, and FRVs in the foundation document to assess if proposed actions may impair resources.
- Purpose Statement: Purpose statements articulate the specific reasons Congress or the President designated the area as part of the National Park System. Derived from legislation or proclamation, legislative history, and public input, purpose statements:
- Reflect the unit’s specific role and importance to the nation
- Explain why the NPS unit matters and address its national significance
- Align with the NPS mission, often including terms like "preserve", "interpret", "protect", or "provide recreation" to describe what the NPS unit is authorized to do
- Can be succinctly expressed (e.g., "To preserve and interpret ... ").
- Significance Statements: Significance statements describe why a site is nationally important and justify its designation as a unit of the National Park System. They:
- Focus on national significance rather than state or local importance
- Highlight the most critical natural, cultural, and recreational resources
- Answer why the site is important and what differentiates it from other places
- Are supported by data, research, and scholarship.
- FRVs: FRVs are the essential features, systems, processes, experiences, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes to achieve the NPS unit’s purpose and maintain its national significance. FRVs:
- Are used to identify key management priorities for preserving what is most significant
- Are specific and critical to the NPS unit’s purpose; deterioration of FRVs jeopardize the unit’s core mission
- Are not overly broad or comprehensive but focus on what is essential.
- Interpretive Themes: Interpretive themes help convey the essence of the unit’s purpose, significance, and fundamental resources. They:
- Serve as an organizational tool, derived from the unit’s purpose and significance
- Capture and convey the meaning of the site in broad, inclusive statements
- Remain relatively stable over time but accommodate new information and perspectives
- Provide a framework for developing visitor experiences and programs.
NPS units only change the core components of a foundation document when significant changes occur such as legislative updates or major new scientific discoveries or research that affect the understanding of the NPS unit’s significance and the FRVs. Before changing the core components of a foundation document, the NPS unit discusses and confirms the need for the proposed change with subject matter experts and regional planning offices.
Optional Components
A foundation document may include the following optional components, if applicable:
- Other Important Resources and Values (OIRVs): OIRVs are not fundamental to the NPS unit’s purpose and may not relate to the unit’s significance but require management consideration due to other legal or policy requirements (e.g., an endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act). Distinguishing FRVs from OIRVs helps NPS unit managers set priorities given competing management concerns.
- Special Mandates: Special mandates are legal requirements unique to an NPS unit that either expand on, or potentially conflict with, its established purpose and significance. They:
- Are additional requirements specific to a unit
- Are established through enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the NPS unit, or through a judicial process
- May expand on NPS unit purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose
- Do not represent an inventory of all the laws applicable to the National Park System.
- Administrative Commitments: Administrative commitments are agreements reached through formal, documented process (e.g., easement, right of way, arrangement for emergency service responses).
Special mandates and administrative commitments are dynamic and change over time. To maintain stability, the foundation document should only reference the mandates or commitments in the document itself. If an NPS unit chooses to develop a list of their special mandates or administrative commitments, the NPS unit can present that information as an addendum to the foundation document in an easily updated format.
Assessment of Planning and Data Needs
Initial foundation documents for new NPS units may include a concurrent assessment of planning and data needs. The NPS unit should follow the planning portfolio review process (see Chapter 3: Statutory Requirements for General Management Plans) to complete this assessment and identify any needed plans or data. Once this initial assessment is completed, NPS units rely solely on the continual planning portfolio review process and preliminary planning processes to identify additional planning and data needs.
2.2 Supplemental Studies, Data, and Inventories
Supplemental studies, data, and inventories inform all levels of NPS planning. Section 2.1.2 of the Management Policies states that “decision-makers and planners will use the best available scientific and technical information and scholarly analysis to identify appropriate management actions for protection and use of park resources.” While these resources do not address the general management planning statutory requirements on their own, the NPS unit uses supplemental studies, data, and inventories to make sure that an NPS unit’s planning portfolio meets its needs (Director’s Order #2: Park Planning, section 3). Supplemental studies, data, and inventories help managers make informed decisions, monitor resource conditions, and identify when additional planning is needed.
While the specific data requirements differ across various planning efforts, the NPS unit should understand the following components before initiating most planning processes:
- Resource Management Data: Resource management data—including inventories, condition assessments, reports, and monitoring—enable NPS units to effectively understand and plan for the management of their natural and cultural resources. These tools assess and document the condition of resources, identify potential threats, analyze trends, and highlight environmental vulnerabilities (e.g., invasive species, habitat fragmentation). This information is essential for guiding and evaluating long-term resource management strategies. NPS unit managers use resource management data to make informed decisions to maintain FRVs in good condition and to prioritize resource protection efforts.
- Tourism, Visitor Use, and Market Data: Research-based observational data, public use statistics, socioeconomic data, and market segmentation research help NPS units identify visitor needs, characteristics, and projected trends. Using large data sources (e.g., U.S. Census data) and structured research methodologies enhances the reliability of tourism, visitor use, and market data. The NPS uses the data to make operational and infrastructure management decisions that are strategic, financially sustainable, and relevant to the public.
- Projected Environmental Changes: Projected environmental changes (including those driven by a changing climate), along with historical data and observed trends, offer essential context for guiding planning processes related to facilities, natural and cultural resources, visitor experiences, concessions, and other operations. As environmental change accelerates, proactive and deliberate planning for unprecedented, but plausible future conditions, is warranted. To continue to meet missions under conditions of rapid environmental change, NPS units consider projected future conditions and incorporate adaptation in NPS planning efforts.
- Facility Condition and Location Data: The NPS maintains robust inventory and tracking systems on the condition, location, and operational requirements of facilities. In planning efforts, the NPS unit includes experts with access to this information to develop proposals that consider all aspects of park operations and management.
- Financial Baseline: To develop financially sustainable strategic, comprehensive, and implementation planning documents, the NPS unit must understand financial limitations, including fixed and variable operational and facility investments costs.
2.3 Comprehensive Planning
Comprehensive planning—the broadest level of direction for NPS units—establishes a stable framework for consistent and continual planning and decision-making processes. By setting long-term management goals, comprehensive planning offers clear direction and guidance that remains relevant despite changing conditions, funding fluctuations, or staffing adjustments.
The NPS unit can conduct comprehensive planning either unit-wide or for specific geographical areas within a unit. At the unit-wide scale, comprehensive planning offers a holistic view of resources, experiences, and programmatic commitments and facilitates the cohesive coordination of programs and services. Alternatively, at a specific geographical area scale, comprehensive planning can provide broad, programmatic guidance or act as a planning tool alongside an implementation plan to establish or update long-term management goals for specific types of uses or resources. Regardless of the scale, the NPS unit considers various strategies for resource preservation, use, and development. These strategies may represent competing demand for the same resource base. Comprehensive planning is the primary means for resolving such issues (Management Policies, section 2.3.1.6).
Comprehensive planning can help NPS units that lack overarching management guidance—such as new units or new lands—or for those that have experienced significant changes necessitating revisions to the desired conditions, zoning, or management vision for the NPS unit or a specific area.
Comprehensive Planning Elements
Comprehensive planning includes three key elements: an overarching vision, desired resource conditions, and management zoning. These elements can be integrated into a comprehensive plan or used as planning tools in conjunction with an implementation plan.
The comprehensive planning elements outlined below are for general management planning. See section 3.4 for planning guidance related to other NPS designations.
- Management vision: Articulates a consistent direction for management of the NPS unit, aligns that direction with the unit’s purpose, and summarizes the overall desired character, particularly regarding resource conditions and visitor experiences. The NPS unit uses data to develop realistic and adaptive visions that support the effective implementation and sustainability of the plan.
- Desired conditions: Articulates the natural and cultural resource conditions that the NPS aspires to achieve and maintain over time, and the conditions necessary for visitors to understand, enjoy, and appreciate those resources. Desired conditions should be data- and subject matter expert-informed and articulate goals for what the NPS unit can and should realistically achieve, without detailing how the NPS unit will achieve the conditions. The NPS unit makes the desired conditions broad enough to remain relevant throughout the plan’s life, allowing management discretion to address broader unit goals. The NPS unit carefully considers the desired conditions as section 1.4.7.1 of the Management Policies states that any action that impedes attainment of a desired condition is considered an "unacceptable impact" and NPS may not take any action that results in unacceptable impacts.
- Management Zoning: Identifies (maps) and describes the desired future conditions for resource and visitor experiences that the NPS unit aims to achieve and maintain in various areas. Management zoning distinguishes between developed and undeveloped areas of the unit, highlighting differences in resource conditions, visitor experiences, and management activities. NPS units use management zoning to explore alternative futures for the NPS unit and assess different approaches given competing demands on resources.
Types of Comprehensive Plans
NPS units use the following types of comprehensive plans to address their respective requirements in a single document. In some circumstances, comprehensive plans are subject to WASO policy reviews (see Chapter 5: Planning Policy Reviews).
- Standalone GMP: Standalone GMPs initially address the statutory requirements in 54 U.S.C. 100502, which are described in further detail in Chapter 3: Statutory Requirements for General Management Plans.
- Comprehensive Plan for National Scenic and National Historic Trails: These plans address the statutory requirements in 16 U.S.C. 1244(e) and (f). For more information, see section 3.4.
- Comprehensive River Management Plan for Wild and Scenic Rivers: These plans address the statutory requirements of 16 U.S.C. 1274(d)(1) for NPS-administered components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. For more information, see section 3.4.
- Wilderness Stewardship Plans: These plans address the statutory requirements of 16 U.S.C. 1131(a), 16 U.S.C. 1133(c), and the NPS policy requirement for wilderness planning for NPS-administered components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. For more information, see section 3.4.
2.4 Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a structured process that helps NPS units and programs define their goals and priorities for the next three to five years. It provides a clear direction for the unit’s operations and decision-making and aligns efforts with long-term objectives. The outcome of strategic planning is a cohesive strategy that includes specific, short-term actions aimed at improving how operations support established goals. NPS units and programs can apply strategic planning at different levels: the entire unit; a specific operation (such as visitor experience or resource management); or a specific issue. At its core, strategic planning answers five key questions:
- Where are we now?
- Where do we want to be?
- What are the most important things we need to accomplish to get to the desired future state?
- What are our constraints and opportunities?
- How will we review our progress?
Section 2.3.3.1 of Management Policies directs NPS unit managers to use strategic planning processes to determine if the NPS unit needs to shift management direction. If there is a need for a shift, strategic planning helps identify the need to update existing plans or create new comprehensive or implementation plans. Strategic planning acknowledges that NPS unit managers continually assess and adjust operations to accommodate evolving needs and conditions. Additionally, strategic planning helps NPS unit managers to prioritize future planning efforts, considering factors like funding and staffing capacity.
Because NPS unit managers use it to continually identify and manage priorities, strategic planning is often the most commonly used process in the broader planning framework, whether as part of formal planning efforts or integrated into more informal activities like annual work planning. Strategic planning is an agile tool that is most effective when used regularly, allowing NPS units to adapt and respond to challenges, refine strategies, and improve operational alignment.
Importantly, the NPS unit should tailor the scale and formality of strategic planning to the resources available. Frequent, less formal planning can often benefit the NPS unit more than occasional, highly formalized planning that requires more resources. The NPS unit should emphasize the process and dialogue over a formal product or outcome. In this way, NPS units can maintain a flexible, responsive approach to planning that best suits their operational capacity and needs.
2.5 Implementation Planning
Implementation planning involves creating detailed plans to carry out specific activities or projects that support long-term goals, address issues, or achieve desired outcomes. This process requires a level of detail and analysis beyond that of comprehensive or strategic planning. In some circumstances, implementation planning is subject to WASO policy reviews (see Chapter 5: Planning Policy Reviews).
The scope of implementation planning varies depending on the activity or project. Implementation planning can focus on specific initiatives (e.g., species restoration, trail development) or ongoing operations (e.g., maintaining historic structures, fire management).
NPS units often connect implementation planning to the development of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decision documents which facilitates analysis, decision-making, and implementation. Because affirmative non-discretionary commitments in NEPA documents can be binding (see callout box), NPS unit managers must assess whether sufficient financial and staffing resources are available to implement and sustain actions outlined in the plan. If future funding and staffing levels are uncertain or on a declining trend, NPS unit managers need to carefully consider whether the funding and staff time invested in the plan is a wise use of resources.
It is important to note that an affirmative non-discretionary commitment in a NEPA decision document (Finding of No Significant Impact or Record of Decision) can be found to be binding. Unless there is specific language that makes a decision or part of a decision discretionary for the NPS unit manager, the unit will have a duty to act, and in some cases, could be compelled to act under the Administrative Procedure Act.
NPS units have some discretion regarding timing for implementing such duties in plans and decision documents, with the commonly used language “subject to funding availability” being one example. However, lack of funding does not provide a blanket excuse for not taking a non-discretionary action. If an NPS unit has committed to a specific affirmative action, but funding is precluding implementation, then it should evaluate taking a new action to revise the prior decision and reflect that reality.
Additionally, plans should not include actions that unnecessarily limit flexibility to make future decisions to adapt to evolving visitor preferences, emerging technologies, changing resource conditions and threats, or changing financial realities. Such actions increase the risk of plans becoming outdated or requiring significant revisions.
Some implementation planning (such as a report or treatment guide for managing a particular resource or improving accessibility for people with disabilities) provides a tool for articulating a cohesive approach to achieve long-term goals, manage issues, or reach desired outcomes. Such reports or treatment guides can contribute to meeting the statutory requirements (see Chapter 3: Statutory Requirements for General Management Plans), and the actions in the reports or treatment guides are subject to NEPA and other legal requirements (e.g., National Historic Preservation Act [NHPA], tribal consultation, and associated regulations).
As a best practice, the NPS unit should not start implementation planning until the activity or project under consideration has sufficient priority, staffing, and funding levels to implement the activity or project in a reasonable time frame. This timing demonstrates to the public and stakeholders that the NPS is committed to follow through on plans.
As a best practice for implementation planning that proposes facility investments, planning should not begin until the activity or project under consideration has sufficient priority, staffing, and funding levels to be implemented in seven years or less from when the plan is completed. Most NPS major construction fund sources operate on 5-year programming cycles. Investment concepts in plans should align with the priorities of the agency on the outer horizon of that cycle. In that way, the NPS can demonstrate alignment between its planning and investment priorities. This timing aligns with the capital investment process timeline in the NPS Facility Investment Strategy so that plans and decision documents—representing the NPS's commitment to the public and stakeholders—are relevant, timely, aligned with agency funding priorities, and based on current data.
RM-2 Chapters
Chapter 1: Background and Purpose
Chapter 2: The NPS Planning Framework (current page)
Chapter 3: Statutory Requirements for General Management Planning
Last updated: January 17, 2025