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The Nature Conservancy in Texas Texas Places We Protect Ways of Giving Science Education Press Releases Join Us Field Trips/Events Contact |
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Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
 Roy E. Larson Sanyland Preserve: Vegetation and Trails Map - © The Nature Conservancy |
Conservation by Design calls for the Conservancy to employ cutting-edge science, planning, and adaptive management to the conservation of biodiversity at multiple spatial scales, including conservation areas, landscapes, states, ecoregions, nations, and even continents. At each of these scales, we must analyze and understand the biological, physical, and socio-cultural factors that affect biodiversity, as well as the complex interactions between these factors. Faced with these challenging tasks, the Conservancy has adopted geographic information systems and related technologies to help analyze conservation issues at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and to communicate our work to others.
Geographic information systems (GIS) combine computer hardware, software, and people to collect, manage, analyze, and display information describing objects and places on the Earth. These objects, or "features," include conservation elements, conservation areas, ecoregions, administrative boundaries, and a variety of other natural and cultural features. GIS can store and manipulate cartographic representations of these features as well as related tabular records that describe the features with words and numbers. GIS provides a toolbox to integrate, analyze, and display all of our conservation information, thus providing vital knowledge about the location, condition, trends, and patterns of biodiversity, and the places and actions with which we seek to preserve it. GIS helps us map and analyze conditions related to conservation of elements and ecoregional portfolios. It helps us develop and implement restoration and management plans, design long-term monitoring schemes, and analyze habitat changes over time. Recognizing that a picture is worth a thousand words, the entire Conservancy utilizes GIS maps to communicate with partners, landowners, and the public about where, why, and how we are implementing conservation. In short, GIS is used in every stage of the conservation process, and it has become a crucial tool for conservation.
Geographic Information Systems: how maps and spatial data are used in conservation worldwide
Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS): spatial data and mapping information
