The idea to develop the Ecosystem Assessment and Reporting (EAR) Tool originated from recent efforts by the Nature Conservancy to develop standard ecoregional status measures and the need to establish GIS-based tools that integrate data across the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) Thematic Networks (TN). This tool seeks to maximize the information available in the IABIN Ecosystems and Protected Areas TNs, by providing conservation decision makers products for assessing the extent of ecosystems under effective conservation, offering direction on where to work and what actions may be needed to improve biodiversity conservation.

While methods may vary on how to calculate an ecosystem’s viability, threat status, and management needs, the design of the EAR tool provides a common framework for conservation decision makers to obtain direction on where to implement critical management actions. The design and development of the tool was executed by The Nature Conservancy’s Caribbean Science Program, working closely with the Department of Geography and Geology at the University of Southern Mississippi. Funding for the development of the tool was provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Grant through the World Bank. The Project Implementation Plan, found at http://www.iabin.net, is executed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS).