NatureServe

Description

NatureServe is a nonprofit organization that provides biodiversity conservation data, tools and services.

It works with a network of governmental and non-governmental programs across the United States and Canada, together with nearly a thousand conservation professionals, to collect, analyze and deliver biodiversity knowledge that informs conservation action. Its programs document the conservation status and location of species and ecosystems, produce analyses to guide conservation planning, develop software tools, and manage natural heritage data centers. It partners with the IUCN Red List, contributing coordination assistance and data to its worldwide species assessments. It maintains the National Vegetation Classification Standard for the United States and the International Classification of Ecological Communities.

NatureServe traces its roots to 1974, when The Nature Conservancy helped establish the first state natural heritage program. It was incorporated in 1994 as the Association for Biodiversity Information and took the name NatureServe in 2001. It is based in Arlington, Virginia, with regional offices in the United States and Canada.