Big Bend National Park

Mission Statement

The National Park Service at Big Bend National Park preserves and protects a representative area of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The park includes rich biological and geological diversity, cultural history, recreational resources, and outstanding opportunities for binational protection of shared resources. Big Bend National Parkâ  s Purpose The purpose of Big Bend National Park is to: preserve and protect all natural and significant cultural resources and values. provide recreational opportunities that are compatible with the protection and appreciation of park resources for diverse groups. provide educational opportunities to foster understanding and appreciation of the natural and human history of the region. Big Bend National Parkâ  s Significance Big Bend National Park contains the most representative example of the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem in the United States. Big Bend National Parkâ  s varied environments - river, desert, and mountain - support an extraordinary richness of biological diversity, including endemic plants and animals. The variety of environments, scenic landscapes, and wilderness experiences provides unparalleled recreational opportunities. The outstanding geologic features and Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils contained in Big Bend National Park furnish excellent opportunities to study the sedimentary and igneous processes. Big Bend National Parkâ  s outstanding archeological and historic resources demonstrate the cultural interaction along the Rio Grande and the varied ways that humans adapted to the desert environment. The Rio Grandeâ  s life-sustaining waters bind together the flora, fauna, and human inhabitants beyond both of its banks. Along with the two Mexican Protected Areas for the Flora and Fauna, Maderas del Carmen and Caà ±on de Santa Elena, Big Bend is now part of one of the largest transboundary protected areas in North America. More than two million acres of Chihuahuan Desert resources, along with more than 200 miles of river, are now under the national protection of the United States and Mexico.