The TNC Ecoregional Assessment Process

Building an Ecoregional Portfolio

Ecoregional assessments conducted by The Nature Conservancy run through a standard set of steps that culminate in an "ecoregional portfolio," a set of sites designed to collectively conserve the biodiversity of an ecoregion. This ecoregional assessment website is structured to follow that process:

• Identify conservation targets at a variety of scales, that represent the overall biodiversity of the ecoregion. 
• Assess viability of conservation targets by analyzing their size, condition and landscape context.
  
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• Establish conservation goals explicitly in terms of numbers, area, or percentage of viable conservation targets sufficient to effectively conserve the ecoregion's biodiversity. 
• Establish a portfolio of sites comprised of conservation areas that express the accumulated goals across the ecoregion, ensuring representation and redundancy of viable conservation targets.
• Define action sites -- a subset of the portfolio, at which highest priority efforts will be focused.
• Assess critical threats to portfolio conservation targets, particularly those effecting action sites. 
• Develop strategies to abate critical threats and maintain or improve viability of conservation targets, through conservation actions such as acquisition, adaptive management, and establishment or change in policy. Ensure a system of monitoring of conservation progress.