Society for Conservation GIS

Society for Conservation GIS
Name	Society for Conservation GIS
Formation	1992
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	United States
Region served	Global
Leader title	Executive Director

Society for Conservation GIS

The Society for Conservation GIS is a global nonprofit organization focused on applying geographic information systems to biodiversity conservation, protected areas, and natural resource management. Founded in 1992, the organization connects practitioners, technologists, and institutions working on conservation planning, spatial analysis, and mapping, engaging with a wide network of conservation groups, academic centers, and multilateral agencies. The Society promotes capacity building, data sharing, and technical innovation through training, workshops, and collaborative projects.

History

The organization was founded in 1992 amid a surge of interest in spatial analysis following developments at institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, IUCN, and Conservation International. Early collaborators included researchers from Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and practitioners from United Nations Environment Programme and World Bank projects focused on biodiversity hotspots and protected area designations. In the 1990s the Society partnered with initiatives like Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar Convention, and the Red List assessments by IUCN Red List. As web mapping and open data matured, the Society engaged with platforms such as OpenStreetMap, Esri, Google Earth, and the Global Forest Watch initiative. Over subsequent decades it expanded ties to academic programs at University of California, Santa Cruz, Duke University, University of Queensland, and regional conservation NGOs including Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife International, Rainforest Alliance, and Fauna & Flora International.

Mission and Objectives

The Society's mission emphasizes empowering conservation practitioners through geospatial tools and knowledge exchange, aligning with goals advanced by United Nations, Convention on Biological Diversity, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and multilateral funders like the Global Environment Facility. Objectives include advancing technical skills through training with vendors such as Esri and open-source communities like QGIS, supporting data interoperability with standards promulgated by Open Geospatial Consortium, and promoting evidence-driven decision-making used by agencies like United States Fish and Wildlife Service and European Environment Agency. The Society advocates for spatial approaches reflected in conservation strategies from The Nature Conservancy's Resilient Lands Initiative to national biodiversity strategies developed within frameworks including Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include capacity-building workshops, regional meetups, and online training that draw participants from institutions such as University of British Columbia, University of Cape Town, National Geographic Society, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and Monash University. Initiatives have connected practitioners to toolsets like ArcGIS Online, GRASS GIS, R (programming language), Python (programming language), and biodiversity databases like GBIF, IUCN Red List, eBird, and Map of Life. The Society has run thematic programs on marine spatial planning with NOAA partners, landscape connectivity aligning with research from NatureServe and Wildlands Network, and community-based mapping linked to Indigenous and Tribal Peoples initiatives and organizations such as International Union for Conservation of Nature regional commissions. It supports data-sharing protocols used by Global Biodiversity Information Facility and climate-related analyses drawing on datasets from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and NASA.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises conservation practitioners, GIS analysts, academics, and technologists affiliated with entities like University of Minnesota, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Conservation Strategy Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, and municipal parks agencies. Governance is overseen by a board with representatives drawn from partner organizations such as Esri, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and universities including University of Melbourne and University of Washington. The Society operates volunteer working groups modeled after professional societies like Society for Conservation Biology and collaborates with certification bodies such as GIS Certification Institute.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The Society collaborates widely with multilateral and non-governmental organizations including United Nations Development Programme, World Bank Group, Global Environment Facility, IUCN, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International, and academic centers such as Center for Biodiversity Informatics at University of Kansas. Technology partners have included Esri, QGIS Development Team, Google, Mapbox, Carto, and cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, while data partners include Global Forest Watch, GBIF, IUCN Red List, and citizen-science platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird. Regional collaborations extend to institutions like African Wildlife Foundation, Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Conservation Network, Latin American Network for Conservation and national agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Impact and Notable Projects

The Society has supported projects ranging from mapping connectivity corridors for species promoted by The Nature Conservancy and Wildlands Network to coastal vulnerability assessments used by NOAA and UNEP. Notable collaborations include spatial analyses informing protected area expansion aligned with Aichi Targets and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, species distribution modeling contributions to IUCN Red List assessments, and training programs that built capacity for GIS use in agencies such as Kenya Wildlife Service, South African National Parks, and Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. The Society contributed to mapping efforts used in high-profile studies by researchers at University of Oxford, University College London, Harvard University, and Stanford University and supported disaster response mapping that partnered with Red Cross societies and UN OCHA.

Awards and Recognition

The Society and its members have been recognized by awards and honors from organizations including Esri Conservation Program, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Society for Conservation Biology awards, and regional conservation prizes such as those from National Geographic Society and Whitley Fund for Nature. Individual members have received recognition through fellowships and grants from MacArthur Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Packard Foundation, Turner Foundation, and research awards affiliated with universities like Yale University and University of Oxford.

Category:Environmental organizations Category:Geographic information systems