Coastal Services Center

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GIS Tools for Strategic Conservation Planning

Description of Course

This four day course teaches students how to apply geographic information system (GIS) tools, methodologies, and analyses to strategic conservation planning using a Green Infrastructure approach.

Green Infrastructure refers to an interconnected network of natural areas and open spaces that conserves natural ecosystem values and functions and provides an array of benefits to people and wildlife. A Green Infrastructure approach helps communities balance environmental and economic goals, promoting strategies that lead to sustainable land uses. For more information on Green Infrastructure, please visit www.greeninfrastructure.net.

The course was developed by NOAA and The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center. Course offerings will be co-taught by staff members from these organizations.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe primary concepts and benefits of a Green Infrastructure approach to coastal conservation and broader land-use planning efforts;
• Define the goals, objectives, and parameters of a Green Infrastructure network and identify appropriate core data elements needed to design a Green Infrastructure network using GIS tools and methodologies; and
• Choose and employ raster-based spatial analyses to design a coastal Green Infrastructure network using ArcGIS.

Format for the course includes lectures, demonstrations, small group discussions, and hands-on problem-solving exercises. Participants will use ArcView 9x and Spatial Analyst software to apply principles of strategic conservation planning and address a realistic conservation scenario using GIS. Students will use data sets from coastal areas to develop conservation priorities and strategies.

Who Should Take This Course

Ideal participants are those seeking to advance their GIS skills by applying coastal conservation planning approaches, or those looking to design a Green Infrastructure network in a coastal area using GIS technology.

All participants should have prior experience or training in the use of ArcView 9x software. The course uses the Spatial Analyst extension, and materials presented are both comprehensive and fast-paced. There are no specific prerequisite courses, but these are examples of courses that would be helpful:

• "Coastal Applications of ArcGIS" offered by NOAA, for establishing GIS skills
• "Strategic Conservation Planning Using a Green Infrastructure Approach" offered by The Conservation Fund, for foundations in Green Infrastructure.

Course Dates

November 6 to 9, 2007, Charleston, South Carolina
June 16 to 19, 2008, Shepherdstown, West Virginia

If you are interested in having this course taught in your area, please contact us.

Contact Information

Interested in more information about this course? Please contact Josh Murphy at (843) 740-1246, Joshua.Murphy@noaa.gov, or Nancy Cofer-Shabica at (843) 740-1335, Nancy.Cofer-Shabica@noaa.gov.