The National Gap Analysis Program is part of the Biological Resources Division in the U.S. Geological Survey. It is a nationwide program that seeks to manage biodiversity at the landscape and community levels. Gap Analysis is a "bottom-up" approach that allows for creativity and collaboration at the state and local level, where most land management decisions are made. The intent of ap Analysis is to provide focus and direction for proactive, rather than reactive, land management activities at the community and landscape levels. It is hoped that Gap Analysis is a step toward comprehensive land management planning that transcends political boundaries. The main goal of Gap Analysis is to prevent additional species from being listed as threatened or endangered.

The Illinois Gap Analysis Project (IL-GAP) was started in 1996 at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) in Champaign, Illinois with the general goal of providing a landscape-level perspective on the conservation status of reproductive habitats for mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. The intent has been to attain this overall goal of landscape perspective within the general framework of the national Gap Analysis Program (GAP). The INHS has a long history of conducting research on the natural resources of Illinois, which makes it an ideal institution for conducting gap analysis. There are 4 major components of IL-GAP; (1) land cover mapping and classification, (2) vertebrate distribution mapping and modeling, (3) land stewardship mapping and categorization, and (4) analysis of the data.

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Last updated Thursday, 07/21/2005 5:12 PM