{"id":314171,"date":"2020-04-01T10:56:48","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T17:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcwatch&p=314171"},"modified":"2025-05-29T16:40:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T23:40:49","slug":"stewards-of-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"arcwatch","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcwatch\/stewards-of-biodiversity","title":{"rendered":"Stewards of Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1172,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[275822,422802,10962],"tags":[157432,1391,1291,1711,430121],"arcwatch_issues":[427041],"class_list":["post-314171","arcwatch","type-arcwatch","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcgis-living-atlas-of-the-world","category-conservation","category-esri-partner-conference","tag-arcgis","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-conservation","tag-machine-learning","tag-natureserve","arcwatch_issues-may-2020"],"acf":{"short_description":"NatureServe recently released its Map of Biodiversity Importance, accessible via ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. ","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"NatureServe Releases\u00a0<\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>he\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Map of Biodiversity Importance<\/span><\/span>, a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Map Collection<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Supported by Esri and Microsoft\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\r\n\r\nFor<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>close to\u00a0<\/span>half\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>century,\u00a0<\/span>a network of boots-on-the-ground\u00a0<\/span>botanists<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and zoologists\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>ventured\u00a0<\/span>into forests, deserts, and swamps to gather data\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>animal<\/span>s and plants<\/span>\u00a0that are<\/span>\u00a0in danger of going extinct<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThese scientists have<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>recorded information about\u00a0<\/span>thousands of\u00a0<\/span>rare\u00a0<\/span>species<\/span>, from the\u00a0<\/span>threatened Jollyville Plateau salamander in Texas<\/span>\u00a0to the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>imperiled little purple monkey<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>flower in California<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nT<\/span>h<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0scientists<\/span>'<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>findings\u00a0<\/span>are compiled by<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>NatureServe<\/span>, a nonprofit o<\/span>rganization<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>NatureServe<\/span>\u00a0works with\u00a0<\/span>nearly 100<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>NatureServe Network\u00a0<\/span>programs in the\u00a0<\/span>United States,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Canada, and Latin America to<\/span>\u00a0provide<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>conservation-related data, software tools, and services to government agencies, conservation groups, academia, and private companies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nTo make that data even more useful for users<\/span>\u00a0who\u00a0<\/span>make\u00a0<\/span>critical\u00a0<\/span>conservation and\u00a0<\/span>land<\/span>-<\/span>use decisions, NatureServe just launched the Map of Biodiversity Importance, developed with help from the NatureServe Network programs, Esri, Microsoft, and The Nature Conservancy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":317081,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Finding out\u00a0<\/span>where the habitats for\u00a0<\/span>rare plants and animals\u00a0<\/span>exist<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the United States is one of the first steps in\u00a0<\/span>keeping\u00a0<\/span>them from going extinct.\u00a0<\/span>The mission of the Map of Biodiversity Importance project is to h<\/span>arness<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>rtificial intelligence (AI) and location technology to determine where our country<\/span>'<\/span>s most\u00a0<\/span>at-risk<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>species\u00a0<\/span>occur<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in order to<\/span>\u00a0help protect them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The<\/span>\u00a0project<\/span>'<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>top 10\u00a0<\/span>findings <\/span>currently\u00a0<\/span>show<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0for example<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0that California is a highly biodiverse state with hundreds of imperiled species<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and that climate change is threatening some of the most biodiverse areas in the country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"<\/span>We value nature<\/span>'<\/span>s diversity,<\/span>\"<\/span>\u00a0Healy Hamilton,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>chief scientist at NatureServe, said in unveiling<\/span>\u00a0the Map of Biodiversity Importance<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to the public\u00a0<\/span>at the\u00a0<\/span>Esri Federal\u00a0<\/span>GIS Conference<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in Washington,\u00a0<\/span>DC<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0in February.<\/span>\u00a0\"<\/span>We have passed federal and state laws to safeguard species from extinction and we have protected lands and waters to sustain their habitat.<\/span>\u00a0When we think of biodiversity, we may reflect on tropical rain<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>forests or coral reefs, where the richness of life is indeed staggering<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>But our own country harbors globally significant biodiversity.<\/span>\"<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":317041,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/home\/webmap\/viewer.html?layers=6e90cefddb634e6a949838e7efff55fb"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"AI Meets ArcGIS\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\nNatureServe combined machine learning and GIS to produce th<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>map\u00a0<\/span>collection<\/span>, using<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Esri\u00a0<\/span>ArcGIS technology<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft AI for Earth<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to model and\u00a0<\/span>map habitats where conditions<\/span>\u00a0are favorable<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for more than 2,000\u00a0<\/span>imperiled<\/span>\u00a0species across the nation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0<\/span>Map of Biodiversity<\/span>\u00a0Importance<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>collection consists of\u00a0<\/span>raster map<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>layers that\u00a0<\/span>identify important<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>areas for<\/span>\u00a0imperiled and critically imperiled\u00a0<\/span>plant and animal species in the contiguous United States.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This includes\u00a0<\/span>15<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>layers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that depict<\/span>\u00a0the following<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n