2020 Geospatial Conservation Annual Report

In this field, we generate maps that highlight biodiversity assets and the various threats to those assets. While these maps are an essential component of spatial action mapping, they should not be the only element that directs conservation actions or guides strategies. We need maps to tell us the places where specific actions will deliver the greatest return on investment.

As conservationists, we need to go beyond simply finding areas to conserve. We need to focus on actions that ensure ecological representation, connectivity and the long-term viability of ecosystems. We must do this while taking into account not only the cost and feasibility of conservation action but what is likely to happen as the climate changes.

For example, if we encounter a place in East Africa with the greatest diversity of mammals or a patch of mangroves in Indonesia with the greatest ability to fix carbon or protect people against coastal hazards, should we protect it? Maybe, but first we must consider all the pieces that contribute to this answer: actions at these locations might be politically infeasible, ridiculously expensive, culturally insensitive, or prone to failure for technical, social or economic reasons.

This is what our geospatial community at TNC does to advance conservation science, planning and action. Our second Annual Report & Map Book provides a small glimpse into how.

The broad range with which geospatial work supports meaningful conservation

Geospatial technology—the combined disciplines of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and machine learning—is an important tool for TNC’s science-based approach to conservation known as Conservation by Design. A pillar of this approach involves mapping strategies and actions in priority places and then evaluating the impact of those strategies in comparison to broad conservation goals. 

Download the Annual Report for a closer look at 25 case studies, a global map series of crisis and last chance ecosystems, and over a dozen feature maps depicting specific conservation projects. These maps and stories demonstrate the range with which this technology is being used for conservation. However, even this is a small glimpse of the breadth and depth of our geospatial work that supports meaningful conservation action.

Explore the following case study from Mexico that highlights the types of conservation mapping applications you'll find in the Annual Report:

Addressing diversity in our geospatial work

It’s important to us that TNC staff represent the diversity of our global influence. To see how our geospatial staff contribute to this goal, we evaluated our professional workforce in our annual survey. While we did find a diverse array of global practitioners using science for conservation, we discovered this workforce is predominantly white, with the highest staff concentration in the United States.

Of the 1,577 staff invited to fill out the survey, only 18% of our global geospatial workforce identified as non-white and 68% identified as white (14% did not respond). Of these, 44% identified as men, 33% women, and 23% did not indicate. These results highlight a significant challenge: identifying, addressing and removing professional obstacles that may be preventing the advancement of racially or ethnically diverse employees in our workforce.

It is imperative that we act with intention, as leaders in conservation and in the creation of a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce.

As we strive to do better, we are taking the following steps to immediately address diversity:

1. Create a diverse council: Our Geospatial Leadership Council is intentionally representative of our global workforce and gender-equal. We believe that having regionally diverse representation will greatly increase our conservation impact. The Council is 22 staff (11 men, 11 women) from North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific - every region where TNC works. Only by having many voices and perspectives will we reach our conservation goals.
2. Distribute geospatial software: Esri has authorized TNC to distribute their GIS software licenses to global conservation partners. These nonprofit partners receive similar licensing benefits as TNC does, including unlimited access to Esri eLearning resources, technical support, and assistance with software license distribution and management. We currently support 44 nonprofit conservation organizations from 49 countries. We are committed to providing these technical resources to the people supporting critical conservation decisions.
3. Partner with SCGIS: We have partnered with the Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) to serve this diverse international community. We will do this by actively shaping SCGIS governance and programmatic activities, including providing scholarships and training for underrepresented communities and offering resources to support a new generation of geospatial professionals.

The Nature Conservancy’s geospatial work is intricately linked to our broader community and has the power to address the joint challenge of social inequity and climate change. We know that the key to advancing conservation and protecting the planet lies in our ability to cultivate a work environment that promotes diversity, inclusion and equality for the people behind our geospatial technology.