Discover Life in America (DLiA) protects the extraordinary biodiversity within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding bioregion. The Great Smoky Mountains serve as a living laboratory housing an estimated 100,000 species, many still undiscovered. DLiA's extensive ecological data collection systems have already documented over 22,000 species, creating one of the world's most comprehensive inventories of a single ecosystem.

DLiA facilitates dialogues between university researchers, state officials, and regional conservation organizations about biodiversity documentation and protection that transforms isolated research projects into interconnected networks. The biodiversity data informs conservation strategies and habitat management decisions. By advising on data collection methodologies and database structure, DLiA helps to ensure the ecological library remains accessible and actionable for researchers, land managers, and policy makers working to protect these irreplaceable natural ecosystems.

Through strategic planning for public outreach, DLiA is expanding the community of citizens actively participating in biodiversity monitoring and conservation.