Drawing up lists of species

Heidelibelle, Bild: M. Eugster

11.03.11 - The department for nature conservation of the canton of Zurich (FNS) has launched a new version of the species list tool for ArcGIS Desktop. This has simplified the interaction with the department’s other tools. A new feature is the ability to compile species lists from species recording databases.

How many butterflies were observed in the area under investigation? Since when has the red-veined darter been present in this area? Answers can be found in the species list tool for ArcGIS Desktop, which enables species lists to be compiled quickly and easily. The tool can evaluate the following observation data:

• Specific, localised observation data of flora and fauna (CSCF, ZDSF, Orniplan data)
• Specialist inventories, where the species information is produced in relation to two-dimensional areas
• EvAB (the recording of species observations) databases

The species lists contain the observations of species within a defined perimeter. In addition, all species observed in the vicinity of the perimeter are also listed. The surrounding area is specified in terms of observation distance for each species.

The species observations can be arranged in the species list in three time periods. The lists can be exported in Excel file format for further processing. Information on a species can also be called up direct from the associated species and habitat database.

Together with the department for nature conservation of the canton of Zurich (FNS), Ernst Basler + Partner has specified the species list tool. An extension of ArcGIS 9.3 in C#, the tool can be downloaded from the FNS website.