Conservation International

Applying GIS to Identify Conservation Priority Areas in the Northeast Coastal Atlantic Forests of Brazil

The forests along the coast of Brazil, known as the Mata Atlantica, include some of the world's most biologically rich yet endangered ecosystems. A workshop held in December 1993 in Recife, Brazil, utilized GIS as a primary tool to identify priority areas for conservation in the northeast Mata Atlantica. Leading up to the workshop GIS was used to integrate and analyze a wide range of biological and socio-economic data. Mylar map overlays were produced for the workshop from this database, including information on species distribution, remaining forest fragments, protected areas, demographics, and economic activities. These maps provided a common base of information for discussion between the participating biologists, economists, and sociologists. During the course of the workshop the participants used the mylar maps, ArcView, and CISIG, to define areas in greatest need of conservation efforts. These areas, and the reasons for their selection, were then included in the workshop database. A series of products are currently being produced as a follow-up to the efforts in Recife: a published map of priority conservation areas, the entire database for distribution, GIS training seminars, and follow-up workshops on the local level. The workshop in Recife demonstrates the use of GIS for conservation planning in several ways: to integrate and display a range of complex information in a readily usable form; to facilitate a dialogue about conservation issues between experts from different disciplines; and to allow for the wide distribution and use of environmental data at the local level.

Text and graphics: Conservation International
January 2, 1997

Mr. Chris Rodstrom, GIS Specialist
Conservation International
1015 18th Street N.W., Suite 1000
Washington DC 20036
Telephone: 202-429-5660
Fax: 202-887-0193