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Standards and Methods
Overview
Knowledge is the fuel that powers conservation work. To protect the rich diversity of life on earth, conservationists need answers to some basic questions:
- What species and ecosystems exist in a given area?
- Which are at greatest risk?
- Where do they occur?
- What places are the highest priorities for protection?
The NatureServe network was established to answer these questions. Its objectives are to make conservation-relevant information about biodiversity available to guide conservation, land use planning, and natural resource management. In operation for nearly 30 years, the NatureServe network is one of the most successful existing examples of a distributed network of biodiversity databases. The key to creating interoperability among the more than 75 local database nodes that comprise the NatureServe network is use of a rigorous set of biological inventory and data management standards and protocols. These standards and protocols are known collectively as natural heritage methodology, and serve as a common language for all participants in the network.
Read more about:
- Natural Heritage Methodology
- Biodiversity Data Model
- Appropriate Use of NatureServe Conservation Status Assessments in Species Listing Processes.