Mapping North America's shared Environment
The North American Environmental Atlas is an interactive mapping tool to research, analyze and manage
environmental issues in Canada, United States and Mexico. All signers of the Migratory Bird Treaty.
Maps are downloadable free of charge and available in an easy to use map viewer format.
The CEC uses maps in the Atlas to:
•Identify priority areas to conserve biodiversity
•Track cross-border transfers of pollutants
•Monitor CO2 emissions across major transportation routes
NatureServe is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to providing the scientific basis for effective conservation action and a member of the IUCN Red List Partnership. Through its network of 81 natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in the United States, Canada, and Latin America, NatureServe provides a unique body of detailed scientific information and conservation biodiversity expertise about the plants, animals, and ecosystems of the Americas. Learn more at www.natureserve.org.
How well are we protecting common plants and animals?
Gap Analysis is the science of answering this question. Developing the data and tools to
support that science is the mission of the USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP).
Improving the Nations Data on Natural Resources and Parklands
The PAD-US section of the website describes the land inventory database and efforts to improve how we track U.S. lands set aside for conservation, open space, recreation and other natural resource uses.
The Data Portal section of the web site contains a wide range of information on protected land inventories maintained by indivdual states, federal agencies and national non-profits. You are invited to help improve this information by directly contributing information about available protected areas data.
Bird conservation plans are organized by taxa, with comprehensive 'all birds' conservation plans now available in a number of BCRs. Landbird conservation plans in the west were done by state, whereas those in the rest of the country were done by Partners in Flight (PIF) physiographic area. Shorebird plans were done by shorebird planning regions, which generally represent amalgams of BCRs. Waterbird plans were done by waterbird conservation planning regions, which also represent amalgams of BCRs. Waterfowl plans were done by joint venture area based on waterfowl areas of importance.
This map has been cooperatively put together with agreement by the same signer countries of the Migratory Bird Treaty. A standardized system of ecoregion will assist resource management to collaborate seamlessly between countries of migrating birds. An indepth description of each of these regions has been updated as of April 2011.
In North America, we share vital natural resources, including air, oceans and rivers, mountains
and forests. Together, these natural resources are the basis of a rich network of ecosystems,
which sustain our livelihoods and well-being. If they are to continue being a source of future
life and prosperity, these resources must be protected. This stewardship of the North American
environment is a responsibility shared by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization whose
This map of ecoregions has been produced for Alaska as a framework for organizing and interpreting environmental data for State, national, and international level inventory, monitoring, and research efforts. The map and descriptions for 20 ecological regions were derived by synthesizing information on the geographic distribution of environmental factors such as climate, physiography, geology, permafrost, soils, and vegetation. A qualitative assessment was used to interpret the distributional patterns and relative importance of these factors from place to place (Gallant and others, 1995).
Conservation needs in Alaska and across the nation require an unprecedented
collaborative effort that links science and conservation with the combined
capacities of many conservation partners. Landscape Conservation
Cooperatives (LCCs) are self-directed partnerships that provide science
support for conservation actions that address landscape-level challenges or
stressors such as climate change. The Northwestern Interior Forest LCC is
one of 21 LCCs identified nationally to complete a network approach of