LandScope Overview

LandScope America—a collaborative project of NatureServe and the National Geographic Society—is a new online conservation and educational resource for the land-protection community and the public. Developed with the assistance of more than 140 partner organizations in the public and private sectors, LandScope America is designed to increase the pace and effectiveness of conservation action and investment throughout the United States.

LandScope America brings together maps, data and information about our environment from many sources and presents them to the public in dynamic and accessible formats. This comprehensive, user-friendly website incorporates interactive, data-rich maps portraying conservation priorities with compelling photos, video, and stories about people and places.

The website’s beta version provides the breadth of a national conservation picture, as well as in-depth information about five pilot states: Colorado, Florida, Maine, Virginia and Washington. Beginning in 2009, the project’s second phase will extend its coverage to the rest of the nation, expanding the depth and range of the site’s content while supporting the development of additional science-based methods and information products.

Bringing Conservation into Focus

You can use LandScope America to explore places and topics, focus and plan conservation efforts, and take action to conserve open space.

Explore Places and Topics

  • Zoom through interactive maps at national, regional, and local scales to find and learn about America’s natural places.
  • Immerse yourself in stories about our lands and waters, told through great writing, photography, audio and video.
  • Learn about the natural geography of your state, its iconic landscapes, most important plants, animals, and habitats, the key threats they face, and critical conservation issues.

Focus and Plan

  • Examine patterns and trends that put conservation action and investment in focus.
  • Access the best-available conservation science and environmental data.
  • Learn principles for setting conservation priorities and planning to protect open space.
  • Use simple, graphical GIS tools to produce custom maps about project areas. 

Take Action

  • Find tools and resources for land protection and conservation financing.
  • Study and share success stories about conservation practices that work.
  • Find land trusts, potential partners, and organizations that are making a difference.

The Conservation Guide to America’s Natural Places

For land trusts, environmental groups, local and state governments, federal agencies and private landowners… for students and teachers, volunteers, wildlife-watchers and the public… for anyone with an interest in conservation, LandScope America is the free, easy-to-use, non-profit and non-partisan guide to America’s natural places. Now start exploring!

Go to the Map

Use the interactive map to zoom smoothly from a national view to state and local perspectives anywhere across the country.

Go Straight to Your State

Learn about conservation and open space in your state.

Contribute to LandScope

Want to join, work with us or simply find out more? Learn how you can get involved.

Contribute

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