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Why the Centre Exists
| What We Do | Natural
Heritage Methodology |
Our Objectives | The
Partners | The Staff
Why the Centre Exists
Conserving biodiversity, in the face of an increasing pace
of change in land use and resource development, requires rapid
and efficient access to information on elements of biodiversity
(species, natural communities, and sites).
Scientific information plays a central role in
many natural resource management activities where there is
concern about biological diversity. In the past the question
of biodiversity, especially regarding rare elements, was difficult
to deal with largely because information was not readily available.
The Alberta Natural Heritage Information
Centre (ANHIC), one of over 80 centres in an international
Natural Heritage Network, was established in
1996. Our centre provides accurate and accessible biodiversity
information necessary for making informed decisions concerning
conservation, natural resource management, and development
planning. The ANHIC collects, continually updates, analyzes
and disseminates information about the location, condition,
status, and trends of selected elements, including species
and plant communities.
What
the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre Does
The Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre tracks information
at several levels.
Species information in the system for selected
taxa includes the scientific name, taxonomy, geographic range,
confirmed locations, population size and condition, global
and subnational status, and autecology.
Community information for selected communities
includes classification, species composition, geographic range
and location, endangerment status, and condition.
Site information includes ownership, size, boundaries,
use classification, management status, and species and community
occurrences. The databases are linked to a common bibliographic
database and can be tied to a computerized Geographic Information
System (GIS) for spatial display and analysis.
The Natural Heritage Methodology
All conservation data centres use a common vocabulary of terms
and concepts: elements of biodiversity (plant and animal species,
infraspecies, and communities); element occurrences (specific
locations of those elements on the landscape); existing managed
areas (parks, protected areas, etc.); outstanding sites of potential
protected areas; and sources of additional information.
In addition to a common vocabulary, heritage
methodology provides many standards for the collection, interpretation,
and dissemination of information about biodiversity. These
include standards in element taxonomy and nomenclature, criteria
for ranking element global and subnational status, specifications
for identifying valid element occurrences, and methods for
evaluating the biodiversity significance of sites. These standards
make it possible for data centres throughout the world to
exchange data in an efficient manner.
Objectives
of the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre
The Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre has four major
objectives:
Conservation
Planning: The ANHIC's integrated biological and
land-use information will help government agencies and
conservation groups identify critical areas in need of
protection. It will help to establish conservation priorities
on a local, regional, national, and global basis.
Development
Planning: The ANHIC's biological and ecological
information will help developers, government agencies,
and conservation groups design and implement ecologically
sound development projects.
Natural Resource
and Protected Area Management: Careful stewardship
of natural areas requires detailed knowledge of significant
biological features. Information maintained by ANHIC on
parks and other managed areas and on significant biological
features will improve management practices and sustain
ecosystems and those significant features.
Research and
Education: Many of the activities of ANHIC and
its partners are carried out in close cooperation with
the academic community. Results from the centre's work
guides new, basic and applied scientific research. The
biological databases represent an important resource for
long-term environmental monitoring and public education.
Partners of the
Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre
Alberta Community
Development, a provincial department responsible for natural
heritage resources is a major land and resource administrator
in Alberta. The department houses ANHIC and runs the day-to-day
operations of the centre.
Heritage
Canada, a federal department with responsibility for cultural
and natural heritage resources, is a major landowner in Alberta
with significant populations of uncommon species. The department,
through lands managed by its Heritage Canada agency, plays
a key role toward achievement of the Canadian Biodiversity
Strategy.
The
Nature Conservancy (US) Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been working with communities, businesses and people
to protect more than 116 million acres around the world. The Nature
Conservancy's mission is "To preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive."
Alberta Natural Heritage
Information Centre Staff
Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre
Alberta Community Development
2nd Floor, Oxbridge Place
9820 - 106 Street
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T5K 2J6
Voice: (780) 427-5209
Fax: (780) 427-5980
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