Presentations from the
7th Annual OFWIM Conference
Baltimore, Maryland
November 1st-5th, 2002

NatureServe: Harnessing the Potential of Multi-State Collaboration (Klein, NatureServe)

All US states have current capacity to share information about biological resources and address multi-state wildlife conservation issues. As members of the NatureServe Network, the natural heritage programs have been collaborating for more than 25 years using standard methods and database systems. The network itself is highly diverse, including 76 independent organizations, with 1/2 in state, tribal or provincial fish and wildlife agencies, and the remainder in universities, other state agencies, and private non-profits. The standardized Natural Heritage Methodology ensures interoperability of systems including species taxonomy, vegetation classification, ranking (for extinction risk, population viability, and other factors), data collection, data management, and information sharing. The presentation will cover the specifics of NatureServe's standards and protocols, the mechanisms for data exchange, examples of multi-state products, and future developments in the network's data systems.

Visit the NatureServe Web site at: http://www.natureserve.org

This presentation available as:
PowerPoint presentation (Klein): NatureServe (PPT)
Adobe Acrobat Reader file (Klein): NatureServe (PDF)