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Natural Heritage Inventory
Browne's Waterleaf
One of the most basic ways to protect rare species and natural communities is simply knowing their location and status. To accomplish this, the ANHC maintains the Natural Heritage Inventory. This dynamic database tracks the precise location and status of rare species, along with the location and condition of high-quality natural communities throughout the state.
The Natural Heritage Inventory
was developed by The Nature Conservancy through a partnership with the State of Arkansas and the
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.
The ANHC's Arkansas Heritage Program maintains the Natural Heritage Inventory and is a member of
NatureServe, an international network of State Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centers. NatureServe members utilize the same data management methodology, enabling standardized information regarding biological diversity to be exchanged across state and international boundaries.
How does the Natural Heritage Inventory Work?
ANHC staff examine rare species occurrences
The Natural Heritage Inventory gathers information on the location of rare species and natural communities in the form of Element Occurence Records (EOR). An EOR can be an Interior Least Tern nest site on a sand bar, a population of showy lady's-slipper orchids, a patch of tallgrass prairie, or a cave hosting a colony of Ozark big-eared bats.
Currently, the Natural Heritage Inventory contains over 12,000 site-specific records of occurrence for rare plants, animals, and
high-quality natural communities across the state. Using a nationally standardized methodology, staff continuously updates and adds new information to this database from a variety of sources. Information is gathered from herbaria, museums, scientific publications, research studies, and field surveys conducted by ANHC staff. Information is also obtained from other governmental agencies such as the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Corps of Engineers.
How is Natural Heritage Inventory data used?
As the central repository for statewide locational information on rare species and natural communities, the Natural Heritage Inventory is useful to a wide range of groups. Data from the Natural Heritage Inventory are commonly used in:
Land Conservation Programs: The ANHC uses data from the Natural Heritage Inventory as the primary tool in the location and identification of ecologically significant lands most in need of protection.
Analysis of Inventory data is an important component of the state environmental review process
Environmental Review/Information-sharing: Data from the Natural Heritage Inventory is used by ANHC staff in the review of specific project-related impacts through the state environmental review process. Examples include commercial and residential developments, transportation projects, utility construction, landfills, mining, and flood control projects. Data is also provided to private developers and public land use planners to notify them of the location of rare species or biologically sensitive areas early in the planning process.
Land Management: Data are provided to government agencies and other land management organizations specific to their respective holdings. With this data in hand, rare species and natural communities can be factored into land management plans.
