This proposed national standard would standardize and ensure consistency of the geospatial mapping of riparian areas in the United States where evaporation exceeds precipitation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently completed testing of this mapping standard to assess its completeness and utility by Federal client agencies. This standards development process under the FGDC would expand the review of the Agency standard, make any needed changes identified during the process, and propose the riparian mapping standards for adoption under the Federal Geographic Data Committee Standards. Once adopted, the Riparian Standard would be made available both through the Service s and the FGDC websites. Once a riparian standard is adopted, the digitized wetland-riparian maps will be made a part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
Riparian areas are among the most important vegetative communities for wildlife species.
Chaney, et al. Similarly, the Arizona Riparian Council found that 60-75 percent of Arizona s resident wildlife species depend on riparian areas to sustain their populations, yet these areas occupy less than 0.5 percent of the state s land area. Mapping of riparian areas is an important tool for managing wildlife habitat in the United States. The Fish and Wildlife Service, through the National Wetlands Inventory, is Congressionally mandated to identify, classify, and digitize all wetlands and deepwater habitats in the United States. The Service is also authorized to map habitats used by fish and wildlife resources under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956.