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Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation assessment tool
Steven Bachman1, Justin Moat, Andrew W Hill
1Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.
Zookeys
|December 31, 2011
Summary
GeoCAT is an open-source tool simplifying Red List assessments for taxa using geospatial analysis. It accurately calculates extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) for conservation status determination.
Area of Science:
- Conservation Biology
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Biodiversity Informatics
Background:
- Accurate assessment of species' geographic ranges is crucial for conservation status.
- Calculating Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) is vital for IUCN Red List criteria.
- Existing methods for EOO and AOO calculation can be inconsistent and time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce GeoCAT, a novel browser-based tool for rapid geospatial analysis.
- To streamline the process of Red Listing taxa by automating EOO and AOO calculations.
- To provide a user-friendly platform integrating diverse occurrence data sources.
Main Methods:
- Utilizes spatially referenced primary occurrence data.
- Performs geospatial analysis within a Google Maps interface.
- Combines data from sources like GBIF, Flickr, Scratchpads, and user-generated data.
Main Results:
- Enables rapid and accurate calculation of EOO and AOO.
- Provides instant visualization of analysis results and threat rating indications.
- Outputs, data, and parameters are stored in a shareable GeoCAT file.
Conclusions:
- GeoCAT significantly eases the Red Listing process for taxa.
- The tool offers a repeatable and consistent approach to geographic range analysis.
- GeoCAT serves as a foundational platform for future automation in conservation assessments.
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