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Gap Analysis Newsletters
Land Cover Classification
Stewardship Map
Satellite image provided by the USGS EROS Data Center.
South Dakota's GAP Analysis Program (SD-GAP) began officially in July of 1997. The project is being conducted by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at South Dakota State University. South Dakota GAP is part of the National GAP Analysis Program headed by the USGS, Biological Resources Division. GAP analysis is a method for identifying nationwide where native animals and plant communities occur in relation to existing protected lands. Species and communities not represented in these protected lands constitute 'gaps' or species at risk of extinction. Once these 'gaps' have been identified management plans can be enacted to perpetuate these at-risk communities into the future.
To conduct GAP analysis, digital maps illustrating existing native vegetation, predicted distributions of native vertebrate species, and current protected lands are created for each state using geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing technology. The land cover map for South Dakota has been constructed from satellite images. Land cover classes have been determined from a list of mid-western vegetation alliances provided by The Nature Conservancy. An alliance is a structurally uniform group of plant associations that share one or more dominant or characteristic species (e.g., paper birch [Betula papyrifera] - quaking aspen [Populus tremuloides] forest alliance). Sixty-one vegetation alliances occur in South Dakota. South Dakota GAP is generating vertebrate distribution maps for 88 mammals, 349 birds, 45 reptiles, and 16 amphibians that are native to South Dakota. Maps are constructed in GIS using known distributions of these species and predicted distribution models based on wildlife/habitat relationships. Digital maps of all federal, state, and private conservation lands in South Dakota are being incorporated into a land stewardship map. Each parcel is assigned a management status code based on the level of protection.
Once the land cover, vertebrate distributions, and stewardship maps are completed, land managers can digitally overlay distributions of individual species, groups of species, or native vegetation types onto protected lands. Species or vegetation types that are underrepresented in protected lands can be identified and long-term conservation plans for particular elements of biodiversity initiated.
South Dakota's GAP Analysis Project would not be possible without the help of the following cooperators:
South Dakota's GAP Analysis Project has been involved in a number of studies, including small mammal surveys, Topeka shiner surveys, Conservation Reserve Program land cover mapping, and western South Dakota wetland delineation. We would like to thank the following cooperators for their contribution to these projects. For information on these projects and projects conducted in other states related to GAP Analysis, please refer to the National GAP Office's Research and Applications Home Page.
Site updated: 1/16/01