Biological field stations: Keeping a pulse on our planet

A recent BioScience paper provides the first comprehensive inventory of the world's biological field stations. Its authors report 1,268 stations are operating in 120 countries—from the tropics to the tundra, monitoring terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Long-term data collected by biological field stations are essential for underpinning environmental research, assessing environmental policies, and advancing conservation goals.