Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre

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 Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture
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.

Canadian Heritage
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 Canada Heritage 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."