Eco Zones: Zones: The 2000 global ecological zone map has been developed, building upon the FRA 1990 experience for the tropics and extending the coverage to include the temperate and boreal forests. A globally consistent classification has been adopted, based on the Koppen-Trewartha climate system in combination with natural vegetation characteristics. A total of 19 global ecological zones have been defined and mapped, ranging from the evergreen tropical rainforest zone to the boreal tundra woodland zone. A main principle of delineating the global ecological zones involved the aggregation or matching of available regional ecological or potential vegetation maps into the global framework. Along with the core information on state and changes in forests, FRA 2000 is reporting on various ecological aspects of forests. Forest resources information will be reported by ecological zone, which will contribute to understanding the implications of forest change on (ecosystem) biological diversity and carbon- cycling processes. For complete metadata see: http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en/metadata.show?id=1255 Olson’s Ecosystems: Ecosystems: In 1980, this data base and the corresponding map were completed after more than 20 years of field investigations, consultations, and analyses of published literature. They characterize the use and vegetative cover of the Earth's land surface with a 0.5° × 0.5° grid. This world-ecosystem-complex data set and the accompanying map provide a current reference base for interpreting the role of vegetation in the global cycling of CO and other gases and a 2 basis for improved estimates of vegetation and soil carbon, of natural exchanges of CO , and of 2 net historic shifts of carbon between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Citation Olson, J.S., J.A. Watts, and L.J. Allison. 1985. Major world ecosystem complexes ranked by carbon in live vegetation: A Database. NDP-017, Carbon Dioxide Information Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. doi: 10.3334/CDIAC/lue.ndp017 (Revised 2001). For complete metadata see: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ndp017/ndp017.html#abstract Biomes: This map depicts terrestrial ecoregions of the globe. Ecoregions are relatively large units of land containing distinct assemblages of natural communities and species, with boundaries that approximate the original extent of natural communities prior to major land-use change. This comprehensive, global map provides a useful framework for conducting biogeographical or macroecological research, for identifying areas of outstanding biodiversity and conservation priority, for assessing the representation and gaps in conservation efforts worldwide, and for communicating the global distribution of natural communities on earth. Biomes have increasingly been adopted by research scientists, conservation organizations, and donors as a framework for analyzing biodiversity patterns, assessing conservation priorities, and directing effort and support (Ricketts et al. 1999a; Wikramanayake et al. 2001; Ricketts et al. 1999b; Olson & Dinerstein 1998; Groves et al. 2000; Rosenzweig et al. 2003; and Luck et al. 2003). More on the approach to ecoregion mapping, the logic and design of the framework, and previous and potential uses are discusses in Olson et al. (2001) and Ricketts et al. (1999a). Citation: Olson, D.M., E. Dinerstein, E.D. Wikramanayake, N.D. Burgess, G.V.N. Powell, E.C. Underwood, J.A. D'Amico, I. Itoua, H.E. Strand, J.C. Morrison, C.J. Loucks, T.F. Allnutt, T.H.