Abstract Detail

Big Data and the Conservation of North America's Flora

Frances, Anne [1], Oliver, Leah [2], Treher, Amanda [2].

Using data from the Natural Heritage Network to analyze trends in plant conservation.

The conservation of native plants, especially those experiencing threats and population declines, is dependent on accurate information about each species’ location, population health, and protection needs. In cooperation with Natural Heritage Programs in each U.S. state, Canadian Conservation Data Centres, and other collaborators, the NatureServe Network has used a long-standing, standardized, and vetted methodology to assess each plant species’ risk of imperilment at subnational, national, and global scales for decades. These assessments, or ranks, determine priorities that support the protection and management of the rarest and most vulnerable plant species. The NatureServe Network tracks the status of rare species through the mapping of Element Occurrences, which represent populations that contribute to the survival or persistence of the species. This presentation will review trends in plant conservation in the U.S. and Canada from Natural Heritage Network data, including conservation status assessments and Element Occurrences. We will identify data gaps necessary for effective conservation and discuss how these gaps may be filled by newly available data such as online floras, digitized herbarium specimens, plant trait databases, and citizen science data.

Related Links:
NatureServe Explorer

1 - NatureServe, 4600 North Fairfax Drive, 7th Floor, Arlington, VA, 22203, USA, 305-321-7073
2 - NatureServe, 4600 N. Fairfax Dr., 7th Floor, Arlington, VA, 22203, United States

Keywords:
Status assessments
Rare Plants
conservation
Ranks
Red List.

Presentation Type: Symposium Presentation
Session: SY5, Big Data and the Conservation of North America's Flora
Location: Sundance 5/Omni Hotel
Date: Wednesday, June 28th, 2017
Time: 8:15 AM
Number: SY5002
Abstract ID:441
Candidate for Awards:None