6.2 Planning and Implementing Conservation
6.2.4.4 NC Gap Analysis Project (NC-GAP) NC-GAP is the state-level representative of the National Gap Analysis Program sponsored by the Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Survey (USGS). Te mission of the program is to conduct regional assessments of the conservation status of native terres- trial vertebrate species and natural land cover types, and to facilitate the application of this information to land management activities. Te goal of the NC-GAP project is to assess the distribution and conservation status of biodiversity in the state under existing land owner- ship and management regimes. Specifc objectives include:
• Map the land cover of North Carolina (Vegetation Mapping),
• Map the predicted distributions of terrestrial vertebrates that use habitat in the state during the breeding season (Vertebrate Predicted Distribution Mapping),
• Map the network of conservation lands in the state (Land Management Status),
• Assess the conservation status of both the terrestrial vertebrates and the natural vegeta- tive communities of the state (NC GAP Final Report), and • Provide that information to natural resource agencies so they can use it in their conser- vation planning eforts. NC-GAP staf provided critical assistance in mapping species distributions and habitat types used in the 2005 WAP, especially for distribution maps in Appendix K (NCWRC 2005) . More recently, staf developed the NC-GAP Geo-Data Server to provide access to species distribution, stewardship, and land cover data in an interactive map format. Data in Esri ArcInfo (www.esri.com) data format (grids and coverages) can be downloaded through the Geo-Data Download interface. In addition, all data can be viewed through the GAP Online Tool. 6.2.4.5 Data Basin Data Basin is a science-based mapping and analysis platform that supports learning, research, and sustainable environmental stewardship. Datasets are spatial information, typically created using a GIS. Datasets contain local, regional, and global geospatial infor- mation. Biological, physical, and socioeconomic information also is available. A dataset could be coordinates where a bird species has been observed, boundaries of land managed in various ways, a thematic image of vegetation types, or the results of a model that shows changes in the habitat distribution of a species under diferent climate change scenarios.
Te core of Data Basin is free and provides open access to thousands of scientifcally grounded, biological, physical, and socioeconomic datasets. A large and continually
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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