Plant and Animal Species Data Useful to GAP Investigators

State Natural Heritage Programs (also referred to as Conservation Data Centers) compile and maintain data on elements of biodiversity, including plant species, animal species, plant communities, and other features. The primary task of these programs is to develop detailed information on and track specific occurrences of the elements that are known or suspected to be rare, endemic, disjunct, exemplary, threatened, or endangered throughout their range or within states. Most programs also have extensive information on common vertebrate and vascular plant species, areas under special management, and bibliographic citations. Of particular use to GAP investigators will be species data on population, habitat association, sighting locations, and element codes. An example from the California World Wide Web (WWW) page (Table 1) shows how data are organized for "special" status plants. Full code descriptions are given in associated tables.

A good starting point for information is the Central Natural Heritage and Conservation Data Centres Network home page, WWW address: http://www.abi.org/. This home page is the result of a joint effort by the Association for Biodiversity Information (ABI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Support for the home page is also provided by the U.S. National Biological Service (NBS). ABI was formed by and works to benefit the network of biodiversity data centers across the Western Hemisphere known as the Network of Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centres. This network currently includes 85 biodiversity data centers (including Hawaii). These programs and data centers exist in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean and collectively represent the largest ongoing effort to collect standardized data on endangered plants, animals, and ecosystems.

By selecting the state of interest within the four regions of the Heritage Program, it is possible to directly access species and other information from the WWW. Currently, there are 13 state programs on line. To obtain species data and element codes for use with Gap Analysis, contact the State Heritage Program in your area. Multistate information can be coordinated through these staff or through TNC regional offices. A list of contacts is published on the WWW (see "State Heritage Programs in the U.S." at http://www.abi.org/nhp/directry/states.html).

Christopher Cogan
University of California-Santa Cruz