[acn-l] NatureServe press release

Christopher Scharpf (ichthos at charm.net)
Wed, 27 Sep 2000 18:47:02 -0400

of interest...

Association for Biodiversity Information Launches NatureServeŽ Website

NatureServe, a new "online encylopedia of life" developed by the Association for
Biodiversity Information (ABI), is now available to the public on the Internet
at www.natureserve.org. NatureServe provides authoritative conservation
information in a searchable database for more than 50,000 plants, animals, and
ecological communities of the United States and Canada. It will be a valuable
resource for conservationists, students and teachers at all levels, academic
researchers, land managers and environmental planners, and anyone interested in
learning about the plants and animals of the U.S. and Canada.

In-depth information on rare and endangered species

NatureServe provides the most comprehensive, in-depth information on rare and
endangered species currently available, and includes extensive information on
common plants and animals too.

The leading source for ecological communities

NatureServe is the first searchable Internet database for the ecological
communities of the U.S. and Canada.

Learn what exists, where it's found, and how rare it is

NatureServe's colorful distribution maps show where each species and ecological
community occurs, plus how rare or common it is across its range. Which plants
and animals are rare or imperiled in your state? What species are legally
protected? Answering these questions and more, NatureServe details the life
history and habitat requirements of thousands of species, the threats they face,
and management strategies for their protection.

A partnership among ABI, the Natural Heritage Network, and The Nature
Conservancy

NatureServe makes data from U.S. Natural Heritage programs and Canadian
conservation data centres easily accessible to the public for the first
time-representing a quarter-century of field work, ecological inventory, and
scientific database development by a network of hundreds of botanists,
zoologists, ecologists, and data managers.

What's Included

* Vascular plants: all native North American species, subspecies, and varieties
(more than 25,000).

* Vertebrates: all native North American species and subspecies of mammals,
birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes (nearly 5,500).

PERSONAL NOTE:
I CHECKED SOME FISH LISTINGS AND THEY ARE EXCELLENT, WITH UP-TO-DATE STATUS
INFO. ON A STATE-BY-STATE, PROVINCE-BY-PROVINCE BASIS. THE DATABASE IS A LITTLE
HARD TO FIGURE OUT AT FIRST, BUT KEEP PECKING AWAY AND YOU'LL GET THE HANG OF
IT.

* Invertebrates: native North American species and subspecies tracked by the
Natural Heritage Network, including comprehensive coverage for freshwater
mussels, crayfishes, butterflies and skippers, underwing moths, tiger beetles,
stoneflies, dragonflies and damselflies, and freshwater snails (more than 13,000
in all).

* Non-vascular plants: selected native North American species including lichens,
mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and some fungi.

* Ecological communities: all documented communities in the U.S. and Canada
(more than 4,500).

* Non-native species: all established non-native vascular plants and selected
non-native animals.

Sample Questions that NatureServe Can Answer

NatureServe's easily searchable database can quickly provide the answers to
individual data requests, such as:

* What mammals are found in my state? Which of them live only in my state? Which
of them are endangered or threatened?

* How many U.S. orchids are rare or endangered? What is threatening such rare
plants as the eastern prairie white-fringed orchid? Where is it found? What are
its habitat requirements and protection needs?

* What species of birds are found in Nova Scotia? Which of those are also found
in Florida?

* How many native species are extinct or missing in Hawaii? In the entire United
States? How many of them are fishes? Where did each one previously occur?

To learn these things and more, visit NatureServe now at www.natureserve.org.
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