Illinois Natural Heritage Database

Illinois Natural Heritage Database
Name	Illinois Natural Heritage Database
Formation	1970s
Type	conservation database
Headquarters	Springfield, Illinois
Region served	Illinois
Parent organization	Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Illinois Natural Heritage Database

The Illinois Natural Heritage Database is a statewide repository maintained to track occurrences of rare, threatened, and endangered species and natural communities in Illinois. It supports planning by linking occurrence records to land use decisions, environmental review processes, and conservation actions across agencies such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and regional partners like Natural Heritage Network affiliates. The database informs inventories conducted by organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Chicago Botanic Garden, Audubon Society, and academic programs at institutions such as University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Northwestern University.

Overview

The Database compiles spatial and attribute data on species listed under statutes like the Endangered Species Act and state law administered by the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, linking mapped occurrences to land ownership records from the Illinois State Land Survey and local county sources. It integrates taxonomic standards from authorities such as the Integrated Taxonomic Information System and distribution frameworks used by the Biota of North America Program and the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory. Users include planners at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, resource managers at the U.S. Forest Service, and researchers at museums like the Field Museum and Illinois State Museum.

History and Development

Origins trace to inventory efforts by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory in the 1970s, later formalized under the Illinois Department of Conservation and transferred into systems maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Major milestones involved collaborations with federal partners such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and funding from programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Academic survey projects from Southern Illinois University and collections from institutions such as the Chicago Academy of Sciences and the Morton Arboretum contributed specimen-vouchered records. Technological shifts included adoption of Geographic Information Systems developed alongside efforts at the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis and the use of data standards promoted by the Association of American Geographers.

Database Structure and Content

The schema stores occurrence records with fields reflecting taxonomy from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, status designations from the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board and the IUCN Red List, and habitat classifications aligned with the NatureServe ecological systems. Geospatial layers use projections consistent with the Illinois State Plane coordinate system and are interoperable with federal datasets like the National Wetlands Inventory and the National Hydrography Dataset. Content types include mapped occurrences, natural community descriptions derived from the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, photographic vouchers from institutions such as the Chicago Botanic Garden, and specimen links to herbaria at University of Illinois Herbarium and entomological collections at Illinois Natural History Survey.

Access and Use Policies

Access balances public information needs with protections for sensitive locations; policies mirror guidance from the Open Government Partnership and confidentiality provisions similar to those applied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Data sharing agreements exist with partners including the Nature Conservancy, regional soil and water conservation districts, and municipal planning departments. Requests for sensitive occurrence data must follow procedures that involve review by staff in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and may reference legal frameworks such as the Freedom of Information Act and state-level privacy statutes. Educational access is provided to universities including University of Illinois Chicago and Illinois Wesleyan University under memoranda of understanding.

Applications and Impact

Practitioners use the Database in environmental review processes under state statutes and federal laws like the Clean Water Act and to inform mitigation planning with agencies including the Illinois Tollway Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Conservation prioritization by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and the Land Trust Alliance relies on its occurrence data to guide acquisitions and easements. Academic studies at institutions including University of Chicago and DePaul University use the data to analyze range shifts, invasive species interactions with native taxa, and the effects of climate change modeled by groups like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Management and Partnerships

The Database is managed by staff within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in collaboration with federal partners like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and non-governmental organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, and local land trusts. Partnerships with academic entities such as Southern Illinois University Carbondale and collections institutions like the Field Museum ensure specimen validation. Technical partnerships include coordination with the Illinois Geospatial Data Clearinghouse and standards organizations like the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques have focused on tensions between public transparency advocated by groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and confidentiality for species protection favored by conservation biologists associated with the Society for Conservation Biology. Legal disputes have occasionally arisen over access to occurrence information during development reviews involving entities such as the Illinois Commerce Commission and regional developers. Data quality concerns have prompted calls for increased specimen vouchering from institutions such as the Chicago Academy of Sciences and enhanced peer review modeled on practices at the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Conservation in Illinois Category:Databases in the United States