Range

Resource Note 81

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NO. 81 DATE 10/31/05

Range

Southwest Regional 

Gap Analysis 

Dataset: Its Value 

to the Bureau of 

Land Management

By Keith Francis, Physical Scientist, 

BLM, National Science and Technology Center

Background

The Southwest Regional Gap 

Analysis Project (SWReGAP; http:

//fws-nmcfwru.nmsu.edu/swregap/

default.htm) is a mapping project and assessment of biological 

diversity (biodiversity) for the 

five-State region encompassing 

Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New 

Mexico, and Utah. The project is 

a multi-institutional, cooperative 

effort coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National 

Gap Analysis Program (GAP). 

The Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) is one of many agencies 

cooperating with and supporting 

this project. 

The project originated in 1998 

with workshops regarding species 

management in the face of broad 

habitat loss in the five-State region. 

In 1999, funds were distributed 

and regional and State coordinators 

were hired or designated. Landsat 

imagery was acquired, and the 

fundamental themes of land cover 

and animal modeling were started 

in 2000–2003. The project area 

covers 530,415 square miles in the 

five-State region, 52% of which is 

federally managed. BLM-managed 

lands encompass 31% of the area. 

Total cost for the project is estimated at nearly $5 million. 

The primary objective of Gap 

Analysis is to use a coordinated 

mapping approach to create a 

detailed, seamless database and 

maps of land cover, habitat for 

native terrestrial vertebrate species, and land stewardship. These 

layers of information are analyzed 

to develop maps showing species 

habitat and land cover that are 

underrepresented on lands managed for long-term conservation. 

These “gaps” in biodiversity and 

management can aid proactive 

conservation planning in support 

of long-term planning needs and 

other human interests. The objective is to produce a proactive, 

rather than a reactive, response to 

land management activities.

The final analysis, or “Gap Analysis,” is a scientific method for 

identifying the degree to which 

native animal species and natural 

plant communities are represented 

in the present-day network of conservation lands. Those species and 

communities not adequately represented constitute gaps in conservation lands and planning efforts. 

The National GAP’s mission is to 

promote biodiversity conservation 

by developing and sharing information on where species and natural 

communities occur and how they 

are being managed for their longterm survival—an important part 

of the overall National Biological 

Information Infrastructure (http:

//www.nbii.gov/) 

Over the years, GAP has developed successful methodologies for 

managing the country’s diversity of 

life forms by using a wide range of 

tools and procedures, accepted and 

used universally. New standards in 

classifying vegetation communities 

have been developed by using a 

consistent set of satellite images to 

render digital databases and maps 

that apply GAP information to 

everyday resource decisions and 

long-range planning. Many States 

have implemented a statewide 

Gap Analysis, and only recently 

have regional Gap Analyses been 

implemented. 

The BLM has been an active participant and one of the cooperative agencies assisting the USGS 

with the data collection. The 

BLM has provided $70,000 to 

the SWReGAP to assist field data 

collection in all five states. At this 

time, there is no known funding 

support for the Northwest Regional 

Gap Analysis Project (NWReGAP). 

The BLM continues to support 

regional Gap Analysis, as a cooperating and contributing agency. 

Dataset Review

In the BLM’s responsibility for 

managing the Nation’s public lands, 

the SWReGAP dataset can make a 

significant contribution by providing data for a variety of resource 

management and land use applications and identifying the gaps in 

managing species and natural communities in the five-state region. 

This type of regional data offers the 

BLM the ability to extend management plans seamlessly across State 

boundaries in the five-State region, 

transgressing field office and State 

office jurisdictions. A larger, seamless dataset to cover virtually all 

the BLM States, (except California 

and Alaska) will result when the 

NWReGAP is finished. A variety 

of applications are available for 

each of the three GAP data themes 

and for the Gap Analysis itself. 

Stewardship data provide not only 

ownership information, but also 

an assessment of the management 

status of the ownership in the form 

of a code or measure of intent to 

maintain biodiversity. The stewardship suggests the ability of the 

BLM to affect future planning on 
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Resource Note 81

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specially managed public lands 

(http://fws-nmcfwru.nmsu.edu/

swregap/stewardship/).

The land cover database provides 

the largest application data resource 

for BLM use. Applications include 

wild fire monitoring, forest inventory, environmental monitoring 

and surveys, impact assessment and 

risk management, water quality 

investigation, watershed analysis, 

range management, wildlife habitat 

monitoring, invasive species monitoring, National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, land 

use planning, and others (http:

//landcover.usgs.gov/otherlinks.asp). 

Another land cover database, the 

National Land Cover Database 

(NLCD) last released in 1992, is of 

a lower resolution and much older 

than these regional land covers. 

The animal habitat modeling 

dataset contains terrestrial vertebrate distribution maps and 

tables. These products are detailed, 

high-confidence maps of the distribution of individual animal 

species, which will be used for 

comparison with the other datasets 

for the final Gap Analysis (http:

//fws-nmcfwru.nmsu.edu/swregap/

habitatreview/). The final Gap 

Analysis will support the BLM’s 

long-range land use planning projects, as well as other applications, 

such as identifying gaps in the species management on public lands.

The SWReGAP is one of three 

regional Gap Analysis projects; 

the others are the Southeast 

Regional Gap Analysis Project 

(SEReGAP) and the NWReGAP. 

The SEReGAP contains eleven 

States in the southeastern area of 

the United States. The NWReGAP 

project would add five of the 

BLM States (Oregon, Washington, 

Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) to 

the SWReGAP’s five BLM States, 

for a total of 10 of the 12 “BLM 

States.” Only Alaska and California of the 12 BLM western States 

would not be included in a regional 

Gap Analysis. The California State 

Gap Analysis project was released 

in 1990 and information from this 

review suggests a future reanalysis. 

A regional Gap Analysis has not yet 

been initiated in Alaska 

Information Dissemination 

at the Bureau of Land 

Management

The SWReGAP will be formally 

released at the National Gap Analysis Conference and Interagency 

Symposium (December 6–8, 2005, 

in Reno, Nevada). This conference should serve as an excellent 

training opportunity and resource 

for information about the regional 

Gap Analysis data, as well as the 

subject matter related to National 

GAP and associated data. Interest 

is being reviewed in exploring the 

development of SWReGAP presentations at national BLM program 

meetings, as well as hands-on training to be used in the BLM to assist 

users on how to use gap data and 

its many possible applications. 

Conclusion

The data and gap assessment 

is exceedingly beneficial to the 

BLM in its responsibilities for 

managing the public lands. The 

BLM can benefit by advancing 

this national and regional Gap 

Analysis program led by the USGS 

as a cooperative agency with the 

other Federal management agencies. This advancement can be in 

the form of funding, as was done 

for SWReGAP for field inventory, or in applying the final data 

(SWReGAP) to support the BLM’s 

mission. While the BLM is a limited contributor in funding, it will 

be a major consumer of gap data 

and analysis because of the greater 

quantity of Federal lands (31% 

of the SWReGAP project area) it 

manages and limited development 

of similar data within the BLM. 

The value of this new level of 

regional Gap Analysis and associated data can be advanced for the 

BLM through the continuation of 

NSTC’s representation, which will 

keep BLM personnel informed of 

the developments and applications 

of regional gap data and serve as 

a point of contact for both the 

National GAP and BLM users in 

fiscal year 2006. 

Contact

Keith Francis

Physical Scientist

Bureau of Land Management

NSTC, Denver Federal Center

Building 50, P.O. Box 25047

Denver, CO 80225-0047

Phone: 303-236-0113

Email: Keith_Francis@blm.gov

The Bureau of Land Management Resource Notes, 

which are posted on this Web site 

(http://www.blm.gov/nstc/resourcenotes/resnotes.html),

are early announcements of technical and informational 

topics for BLM personnel and their customers. Information contained in this Resource Note has not been 

peer-reviewed. Conclusions and opinions expressed herein 

do not necessarily represent those of BLM. Use of trade 

names does not imply U.S. government endorsement of 

commercial products.

Technical Editor - Deborah Harris 

(Debbie_Harris@blm.gov)

Graphic Designer - Ethel Coontz (Ethel_Coontz@blm.gov)

If you would like to prepare a Resource Note for 

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Thank you for your interest in Resource Notes.

SWReGAP Land Cover