Gap Analysis Program

The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) provides regional assessments of the conservation status of native vertebrate species and natural land cover types, and assists in the application of this information to land management activities. This is accomplished by (1) creating spatial databases of the land cover of the United States, (2) collecting and analyzing data to determine predicted distributions of U.S. vertebrate species, (3) documenting the representation of vertebrate species and land cover types in areas managed for biodiversity, (4) providing this information to the public and natural resource organizations, and (5) building institutional cooperation in the application of this information to state and regional management activities.