Mainstreaming nature in US federal policy

Health, national security, and the economy depend on nature, but policy in these spheres is often developed independently and rarely considers nature's roles. Nature-related policymaking is often siloed in environment-specific or land-management agencies, ministries, or other discrete governmental units. Moving toward greater integration and accounting for the interconnections among policy domains and the many facets of nature is good governance: Integrated approaches increase transparency about the economy, policy options, and risks; align government actions across sectors; and increase efficiencies. Here, we propose criteria for policies that will systematically mainstream nature in decision-making. We demonstrate their application within recent examples in US economic, regulatory, security, and infrastructure policy and suggest that these criteria can guide societies through the policy changes needed to advance good governance and sustainability. Last, we highlight new research opportunities created by recent policy changes.