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The GIS Integration and Development Program
Grant Project Summary: The Nature ConservancyImproving Methods for Identifying Priority Sites for Marine Conservation and Management: Integrating Across Environments in the Pacific NorthwestJuly 2004 to December 2005 Project SummaryThe purpose of this project is to combine the abilities of The Nature Conservancy and the NOAA Coastal Services Center to produce new methods for developing spatially explicit conservation plans integrating knowledge about terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems at a regional scale. The new methods will build on the substantial prior work of both organizations. These methods will be tested and refined using data from regions of the Northwest U.S. (i.e., Oregon, Washington, and Alaska) where planning processes are underway with Conservancy leadership. The methods will then be exported to other Conservancy operation units and partner organizations, with wider dissemination to the marine conservation and management community via conferences and journal publications. The proposed project has four fundamental objectives: 1) To test and improve GIS-based techniques for prioritizing conservation and management actions in coastal and marine ecoregions; 2) identify high priority sites for conservation and management action; 3) inspire and guide integrated coastal conservation and management actions in the Northwest by sharing the resulting technical and factual information with governmental and non-governmental partners; and 4) and to contribute to integrated coastal zone management and marine conservation worldwide by sharing the analytical techniques with peers in the marine science and conservation and management communities. NOAA Coastal Services Center's RoleThe Nature Conservancy and the NOAA Coastal Services Center entered a cooperative agreement to produce new methods for developing spatially explicit conservation plans integrating knowledge about terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems at a regional scale. The Center is assisting in the development of the identification of integrative conservation and management targets, identifying linked targets across environments, identifying suitability (cost) factors for use in mathematical analyses, developing an inclusive classification scheme, and applying multiple data sources to better define areas of estuarine influence. Grantee OverviewHeadquartered in Arlington, Virginia, The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit organization working to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Since 1951, the Conservancy has been working in partnership with local communities, government agencies and private businesses to protect the natural landscapes that harbor the diversity of plant and animal life on Earth. With more than 400 offices, nearly one million members and roughly 117,170,925 acres of protected habitat worldwide, the Conservancy is helping to preserve and protect habitats throughout the U.S., and in 27 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Australia, and countries throughout the Asia Pacific region, the Caribbean, and Latin America. |
