The Nature Conservancy is using satellite imagery to assess biological diversity and conservation progress in several regions throughout the United States and around the world.

“The Nature Conservancy works with many different types of ecosystems and species that are threatened by various activities,” Frank Biasi, director of conservations systems for the Nature Conservancy, said in a prepared statement accompanying an announcement that the conservancy is using imagery from DigitalGloble’s QuickBird satellite. “We are trying to find cost effective ways of inventorying and monitoring landscapes worldwide. High-resolution commercial satellite imagery holds great promise for helping the Nature Conservancy define and achieve it goals and measure its results.”

The Nature Conservancy has developed a rigorous science-based approach to conserve plants, animals and ecological systems within a diverse portfolio of conservation areas. The group first identifies the biodiversity of a given project area and identifies species or ecosystems that may be in danger. The Conservancy locates the sources of stress and threats to the identified targets in a given location, including habitat destruction, invasive species or water pollution. Strategies are then developed to address the threats and preserve the location.

As part of that plan, the Nature Conservancy uses the QuickBird images to help build the maps that are required of its conservation programs. The satellite imagery is described as a “critical tool” in the programs the Conservancy builds to protect a given location.

“With satellite technology, we can acquire consistent imagery over large areas, and we don’t have to mosaic the pieces together as we would with aerial imagery,” Biasi said, adding that in certain situations, aerial photography is not even an option for some remote locations. “This allows us to efficiently map large landscapes and ecosystems at a level of detail that is meaningful to local communities and conservation managers.”

One example the Nature Conservancy offered was its use of satellite imagery in Idaho, where the group has been battling an invasive species of yellow start thistle in Hell’s Canyon. Satellite imagery in this case allowed conservationists to gather information that it would not be otherwise able to get because of the extremely rugged terrain.