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Conservation and Biodiversity

Links to web resources in environmental conservation and biodiversity, especially in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.

See also: Native Plants and Wildlife.

Selected Books

Additional books may be found by browsing the library catalog under the subject headings: Nature conservation, Conservation of Natural Resources, Environmentalism

Blessed Unrest
Hawken, Paul
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being, and Why No One Saw It Coming
Hawken charts the rise of the environmental and social justice movements.
GE195.H388 2007
 
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Web Sites

  • American Bird Conservancy
    A nonprofit corporation dedicated to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats in the Americas.
  • American Chestnut Foundation
    Dedicated to restoring the American Chestnut tree, destroyed by the Chestnut blight at the beginning of this century.

  • Bat Conservation International
    The mission of Bat Conservation International is to protect and restore bats and their habitats worldwide. Their website includes links to bat resources around the world.
  • Conservation International
    A field-based, non-profit organization that protects the Earth's biologically richest areas and helps the people who live there improve their quality of life.
  • Ducks Unlimited
    A proponent of waterfowl and wetlands conservation.

  • Land Trust Alliance
    A Washington DC based organization that promotes voluntary land conservation and strengthens land trusts by providing the leadership, information, resources and skills needed to conserve land. Find a land trust by state.
  • National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)
    The NBII will provide information on and access to biological databases, information products, directories, and guides maintained by Federal, State, and local government agencies, and private organizations.
  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
    A nonprofit charitable organization that awards challenge grants for projects that help conserve wildlife and their habitats, including Five-Star Restoration Challenge Grants that provide modest financial assistance to support community-based wetland and riparian restoration projects.
  • NatureServe
    NatureServe Explorer
    A source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada, NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

  • Pheasants Forever
    Pheasants Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1982 in response to the decline of the ringneck pheasant population. Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. There are 10 local chapters in Pennsylvania including the Tri-County (Washington, Fayette and Greene counties), Somerset County, and Laurel Highland.
  • Plant Conservation Alliance
    The PCA is a consortium of ten federal government Member agencies and over 145 non-federal Cooperators representing various disciplines within the conservation field: biologists, botanists, habitat preservationists, horticulturists, resources management consultants, soil scientists, special interest clubs, non-profit organizations, concerned citizens, nature lovers, and gardeners. PCA Members and Cooperators work collectively to solve the problems of native plant extinction and native habitat restoration, ensuring the preservation of our ecosystem.
  • Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
    An international nonprofit wildlife conservation organization whose mission is to insure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat.
  • Trout Unlimited
    conservation organization to protect North America's coldwater fisheries.
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency charged with protecting and enhancing the populations and habitat of more than 800 species of birds that spend all or part of their lives in the United States.
  • USGS: Biological Resources Division
    From the US Geological Survey.
    • Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources
      Provides the first large-scale assessment of the health of the nation's plants, animals, and ecosystems and is intended for use by managers, scientists, policy makers, and the general public. It synthesizes existing and new information about birds, mammals, fishes, plants, and other species and summarizes what is known about the status and trends of major U.S. ecosystems.
  • Wildlife Habitat Council
    A nonprofit, nonlobbying 501(c)(3) group of corporations, conservation organizations, and individuals, WHC helps large landowners, particularly corporations, manage their unused lands in an ecologically sensitive manner for the benefit of wildlife.
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International

  • Global Forest Watch
    An international data and mapping network that combines on-the-ground knowledge with digital technology to provide accurate information about the world's forests.
  • InfoNatura
    InfoNatura is a source for conservation information on the birds and mammals of Latin America and the Caribbean - more than 5,500 common, rare, and endangered species in 44 countries and territories. InfoNatura is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with Conservation Data Centers in 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
  • IUCN: World Conservation Union
    Founded in 1948 IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) is the world's largest conservation-related organisation, bringing together 76 states, 111 government agencies, 732 NGOs, 36 affiliates, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership.
  • Invasive Species Specialist Group
    Global Invasive Species Database
    This database was developed by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group as a contribution to Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP). Find out which plants and animals are most invasive.
  • Species 2000
    Species 2000 has the objective of enumerating all known species of plants, animals, fungi and microbes on Earth as the baseline dataset for studies of global biodiversity. The Species 2000 Programme was established by the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), in co-operation with the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) and the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) in September 1994.
  • World Conservation Monitoring Centre
    internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in the location and management of information on the conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources. Based in Cambridge, England.
  • World Wildlife Fund
    Since its founding in 1961, WWF has become one of the world's largest and most effective independent organizations dedicated to the conservation of nature, operating in around 100 countries and supported by nearly five million people. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. If offers information on climate change and endangered species.
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Pittsburgh Resources

  • Allegheny County Conservation District
    The Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) is an agency of State government having as its mission the conservation of natural resources within the County's boundaries.
  • The Allegheny Defense Project
    An activist organization comprised of scientists, environmentalists, economists, students, individuals, and organizations working to protect and restore the native forest of the Allegheny Plateau.
  • Allegheny Land Trust
    Allegheny Land Trust is an independent Pennsylvania nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in 1993 to protect land of natural value in and adjacent to Allegheny County. Allegheny Land Trust helps local people save local land that contributes to the scenic, recreational, educational and environmental wealth of our communities.
  • Butler County Conservation District
  • Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Catalog of Pennsylvania Biodiversity
    The Catalog of Pennsylvania Biodiversity (CPB) is an initiative to produce a comprehensive, verifiable and authoritative checklist of species occurring within the state of Pennsylvania. Click on "View Species List" to view contents.
  • Friends of Latodami Environmental Education Center
    The Latodami, located in Allegheny County's North Park, north of Pittsburgh, consists of a barn, a pond, stream and wetland habitats, 300 acres of forest and fields, and 13 thirteen trails and was identified in the 2001 Allegheny County Comprehensive Master Plan as an important Biological Zone. The Latodami Environmental Education Center provides a variety of opportunities to school groups, organized clubs and the general public. Friends of Latodami Environmental Education Center is an independent group that supports Latodami’s mission and is not officially affiliated with Allegheny County.
  • Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest
    Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the City's vitality and to being part of the solution to global warming by restoring and protecting City trees.
  • Hollow Oak Land Trust
    Focuses on the conservation of resources, especially Montour Run Watershed, located in the five western Allegheny County municipalities (Coraopolis, Findlay, Moon, North Fayette, and Robinson) that make up the Pittsburgh International Airport corridor.
  • Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy
    The purpose of the Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy is to promote the enhancement, growth and careful use of Mt. Lebanon’s green space. Its purpose is also to foster an appreciation and respect for the environment and for the interdependent relationship that exists between people and nature.
  • Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership
    A Pittsburgh-based public private partnership dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of biodiversity conservation in Pennsylvania. PBP's mission is to conserve biodiversity statewide by promoting communication and cooperation among a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
  • Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
    is an advocacy and support group for the four regional parks within the city of Pittsburgh - Frick, Highland, Riverview and Schenley.
  • Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology
    The field station of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Biological Sciences dedicated to environmental education and ecological research. Offers summer courses and includes the Pymatuning Watershed Project.
  • Scott Conservancy
    The Scott Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the active pursuit of the appropriate use, preservation, and development of both the natural and man-made environment.
  • Three Rivers Habitat Partnership
    assists corporations, communities, and organizations in enhancing wildlife habitat in the Pittburgh region.
    • Wings of Wonder
      Wings of Wonder is a partnership between the Three Rivers Habitat Partnership, ASSET, Inc. and Carnegie Science Center that unites the wildlife teams of PPG and Bayer with local schools to study migratory birds and butterflies.
  • Trout Unlimited, Mountain Laurel Chapter
    Trout Unlimited is a volunteer cold water preservation and enhancement group with a national headquarters in Arlington Virginia. The Mountain Laurel Chapter of Trout Unlimited is headquartered in Johnstown, PA and serves Cambria, Somerset & Bedford Counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. They work with watershed organizations such as the Stonycreek - Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP) and nonprofit organizations such as the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy.
  • Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
    Pennsylvania's largest private land conservation organization whose one essential purpose is to conserve water, land, and wildlife.
  • Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club
    Interested in wild mushrooms but afraid to pick and eat them? Learn all about fungi with this local club.
  • Westmoreland Conservancy
    The Westmoreland Conservancy is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to "acquire and preserve rural and rustic lands for the public good" in Westmoreland County (east of Pittsburgh).
  • Westmoreland Conservation District
    The Westmoreland Conservation District was created by the Westmoreland County Commissions to further the conservation, restoration, and proper use of Westmoreland County's natural resources. Includes the "Conservation Directory", a compact listing of local, state and federal telephone, addresses, fax and e-mail listings in PDF format.
  • Windy Ridge Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
    A non-profit, 135 acre multi-habitat wildlife rehabilitation facility providing care, rehabilitation and release of orphaned, ill and injured wildlife.

Pennsylvania

  • Conemaugh Valley Conservancy
    Involved in the forest and water enhancement project of the Kiski Basin Initiative and in the development of the West Penn Trail.
  • Forests of the Central Appalachians Project
    Information on the biodiversity of the Central Appalachian forests of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. From Virginians for Wilderness.
  • Land Trust Alliance: Pennsylvania Land Trusts
    A listing of Land Trusts in Pennsylvania with contact information and website link if one exists.
  • National Wild Turkey Federation, Pennsylvania Chapter
    Working for the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the turkey hunting tradition.
  • Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD)
    Organized in 1950 to serve as a collective voice of Pennsylvania's conservation districts, PACD provides districts with education and information to help them in their work in land and water conservation and represents districts at the state and national levels in soil, water, and related resource management.
  • Pennsylvania Endangered and Threatened Species
    From the Wild Resources Conservation Fund of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  • Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI)
    A partnership between the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry and The Nature Conservancy that conducts inventories and collects data to identify and describe the Commonwealth's rarest and most significant ecological features.
  • Southern Alleghenies Conservancy
    The Southern Alleghenies Conservancy is a regionally based non profit, non government corporation with 501 (c) (3) tax status organized to assist local organizations throughout the Southern Alleghenies region to carry out resource conservation activities which are first suggested by local communities. The Southern Alleghenies Conservancy acts as a land trust and grant recipient / administrator throughout the six county project area which include the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset.