Biodiversity Expert Systems Tool for County Planners

This system demonstrates how local governments can integrate biological data with other planning data and their development regulations to make the consideration of habitat as simple and routine as any other planning consideration, such as storm-water management or scenic view preservation. The system uses ArcView 3 GIS software on a desktop computer that requires neither knowledge of biology or GIS to predict conflicts between types of land use and wildlife species and plant communities. To operate the system, the planner merely keys in a parcel-ID number and then selects the proposed land use/development from a menu. The system then provides reports about individual species or plant communities determined to be in possible conflict with the land use, the nature of the conflict, and for some species, recommended mitigation measures. Screen captures of the beta version of the interface are available, demonstrating the appearance and functionality of the system. The system will soon be made available on CDROM, requiring ArcView 3.0 software. The system utilizes data from the Wyoming Gap Analysis project: sufficient detail to identify potential problems that should then be confirmed in the field by a biological consultant. The system is also applicable to a "front desk" situation where landowners or development applicants could conduct analyses for their properties and various development scenarios prior to investing in a property or plans. Teton County was chosen as the pilot for this system. Less than 5% of the county is privately owned, yet the areas of highest species diversity for all terrestrial vertebrates are in the valleys where development is booming. The low elevation valleys are also one of the highest biodiversity areas of the state of Wyoming, and are absolutely critical to survival of the numerous species that use them during the winter. These factors highlight the need for planning procedures that incorporate species and habitat. The conceptual basis for this system was developed by Patrick Crist, National Program Coordinator for the National Gap Analysis Program as a research and application project. County data was provided by Teton County, Wyoming. Interface development by Tom Kohley, GIS analyst for University of Wyoming's Spatial Data and Visualization Center. Citation: Crist, Patrick. 1998. Gap Analysis: An Update. Data and Tools for Habitat Conservation Planning. Western Planner 19(2):5-8.