Track: Ecology, Conservation, and Archaeology
Selecting Conservation Sites: Ecoregional Planning with Ecoblocks
Frank BiasiThis paper describes the approach used by The Nature Conservancy's Eastern Regional Office to develop a strategic plan for conserving biodiversity in the Northern Appalachian-Boreal ecoregion. The methodology involves defining conservation targets, setting conservation goals and criteria, selecting sites, and evaluating sites. It relies heavily on GIS maps and analyses, a synthesis of expert knowledge, public data sets, and the new national vegetation classification system. It also utilizes a new spatial unit, termed an ecoblock, to select sites and form the basis of a multipurpose ecological census for conservation planning.
Frank Biasi
The Nature Conservancy
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E-mail: fbiasi@tnc.org