Arizona Ecoregions

In recent years, The Nature Conservancy has adopted an approach based on ecological regions, or “ecoregions” of relatively large land areas that reflect nature’s own borders rather than political boundaries.

An ecoregion is a large area of land and water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. Ecoregions are defined primarily by similar landforms, climate, ecological processes, and vegetation, and typically span millions of acres and multiple states. Learn more about ecoregions across Arizona.
Apache Highlands
Arizona/New Mexico Mountains
Colorado Plateau
Mojave Desert
Sonoran Desert

Arizona Conservation Science
Arizona's Conservation Science Program supports this mission through work in three areas: (1) conservation planning to identify the native systems and places needed to maintain the region’s biological diversity; (2) monitoring and research to understand how our ecological systems operate and to promote science-based adaptive management; and (3) development of scientific assessments to better understand land management needs. Much of our work is done in collaboration with agencies and institutions. Studies and datasets posted on this website are available free of charge. In return, users are asked to provide contact information so that notifications may be sent regarding updates or modifications. Enter the site.