FAQs

A “gap” is the lack of representation or under-representation of a plant community or vertebrate species on lands that are being managed for conservation.  An example is a 2005 analysis of Grace’s Warbler, Dendroica graciae, in New Mexico. The bird’s predicted habitat areas – modeled by Gap Analysis methods – rarely overlap with the state’s protected areas. In fact, only just 7% of the bird’s range was predicted to occur in already-protected land, pointing to a “gap” that should be considered for appropriate conservation strategies.

“GAP” is the acronym for the USGS Gap Analysis Program.

GAP Status Codes describe the degree to which land is managed for conservation.  Land in Codes 1 and 2 have the highest degree of management for conservation, while status 3 lands support multiple uses, including resource extraction (forestry, mining, etc.).  Status 4 lands are either unprotected or of unknown management intent.  An international system is also used, based on the IUCN’s ranks (1-10).

Biological diversity is the variety of life and its processes — it includes the variety of living organisms, the genetic differences among them, and the communities and ecosystems in which they occur.  It includes genetic variation within species, the variety of species in an area, and the variety of habitat types within a landscape. Because biodiversity has such an all-encompassing definition, and a strong emotional pull,  it is often applied to broad topics, even though it mainly refers to the variety of living organisms in an area.

Regional land cover mapping provides the context for mapping predicted distributions of vertebrate habitat. The assumption is that a species is likely to occur where its habitat occurs within its range. Compiling habitat descriptions from various parts of its range (different states) provides a refined picture of where the species occur within broad range limits.

An example of a regional GAP project is the Southwest ReGAP effort – a multi-state, multi-cooperative project to assess biodiversity and conservation gaps across the Southwestern United States conducted in the mid-2000s. The effort was coordinated among five state-based institutions and their cooperators, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management.

Yes, many other countries are planning or implementing small and large-scale gap analysis projects. For example, Mexico has committed funds to cooperate on the Lower Rio Grande Gap Analysis Project and is pursuing initiation of a nationwide program. Canada, Australia, Japan, Turkey and many other countries have expressed an interest in the program.