The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene an ad hoc consensus study to review the progress toward achieving the restoration goals of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). To this end, the Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress will meet two to three times annually to receive briefings on the current status of the CERP, scientific issues involved in implementing the Plan, and natural system restoration progress. The committee will produce two biennial reports that will provide:

(1) an assessment of progress in restoring the natural system, which is defined by section 601(a) of WRDA 2000 as “all the land and water managed by the federal government and state within the South Florida Ecosystem;

(2) discussion of significant accomplishments of the restoration;

(3) discussion and evaluation of specific scientific and engineering issues that may impact progress in achieving the natural system restoration goals of the Plan; and

(4) an independent review of monitoring and assessment protocols to be used for evaluation of CERP progress (e.g., CERP performance measures, annual assessment reports, assessment strategies).