Defenders' Experts
Southeast Ecological Framework
Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama,
Georgia, Florida
Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the University of Florida GeoPlan Center began the Southeast
Ecological Framework Project in October 1998. The center used GIS technology and
landscape ecology principles to identify ecologically significant areas and
connectivity in eight states (Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida) in the Southeast. The center
produced a map of ecological hubs and linkages that consisted of 43 percent of
the land. Other products included a "Guide to Resources and Regional
Conservation Planning," CD-ROMs that include project data, analysis, and
results, and a list of "Conservation Tools and Strategies." The project was
completed in December 2001. Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency's
Region 4 Planning and Analysis Branch uses the project's results and data with
its partners, including local groups, to guide their conservation decisions. The
project data and results were developed to be used at multiple scales. Project
managers applied the data to three pilot projects at different scales to show
its usefulness, including the multi-state scale (Southeast U.S.), regional scale
(Mississippi Delta), and sub-regional scale (Murray County, Georgia).
The West Eugene Wetlands Plan addresses the need for protection of significant natural lands within designated growth areas while still allowing some development.
The Beginning with Wildlife Program provides habitat maps, species descriptions, and guidance to local communities to help integrate biodiversity protection into local land-use planning and guide habitat conservation decisions.
The purpose of Arizona's Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan is to ensure the long-term protection of "the heritage and natural resources of the west in Pima County."
The goal of the Chicago Wilderness is "to protect the natural communities of the Chicago region and to restore them to long-term viability, in order to enrich the quality of life of its citizens and to contribute to the preservation of global diversity."
The Willamette Restoration Strategy addressed water quality and habitat issues in Oregon's Willamette basin and adopted a strategy to protect and restore the basin's ecological health.
The BioMap project's goal was "to promote strategic land protection by producing a map showing areas, that if protected, would provide suitable habitat over the long term for the maximum number of Massachusetts' terrestrial and wetland plant and animal species and natural communities."
The Landscape Project's goal is "to protect New Jersey's biological diversity by maintaining and enhancing rare wildlife populations within healthy functioning ecosystems."
In 1994, Defenders initiated the Oregon Biodiversity Project which produced a statewide biodiversity assessment and a conservation strategy that included 42 "Conservation Opportunity Areas" across the state.
Maryland's two important planning programs are the Green Infrastructure Assessment and the GreenPrint Program.
The Southeast Ecological Framework Project used GIS technology and landscape ecology principles to identify ecologically significant areas and connectivity in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida.
