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.
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.
Eleven out of 15 species of sea ducks appear to have declining populations within some portion of their range (exceptions are common goldeneyes, buffleheads, red-breasted mergansers and common mergansers). Furthermore, two species (Steller's eider and spectacled eider) are listed as threatened. Thus, waterfowl managers need current, science-based models to establish sustainable harvest strategies for sea ducks, and they need it now.
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.
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).
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas.