From Conservation International, this Biodiversity Hotspots site (first reported on in the October 18, 2002 NSDL Scout Report for Life Sciences) "was re-launched in 2005 with completely updated information as presented in the new book _Hotspots Revisited_." The updated Hotspots website features profiles of more than 30 ecologically important areas of the world. Hotspots are categorized under five...

At this website, visitors can learn about the nine year research project that the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the University of Montana are conducting at Glacier National Park to determine how the mountain wilderness has responded to climatic variability and other external stressors. Visitors can learn how, based on their climate variability models,...

Given its proximity to numerous large and biologically diverse ecosystems, it is not surprising to learn that the Florida Museum of Natural History has developed such a lovely website that corrals a great deal of interesting and interactive materials on the study of fish. From the homepage, visitors can dive into the ten or so topical headings, include those dealing with sharks, tropical fish...

NatureServe Explorer is "a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada." NatureServe Explorer offers a quick and convenient way to get detailed information on the conservation status, geographic distribution, taxonomy, and natural history for species of interest. NatureServe Explorer, a combined...

The first is a short article from Scientific American about some recent research that identifies ten biodiversity hotspots where conservation is becoming extremely important. An opinion piece from Christian Science Monitor claims there is a need for no-take marine reserves to protect fish populations and fisheries. A page from the Pew Oceans Commission gives some information about overfishing and...

Biodiversity Bulletin No 1, from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre is now online and is entitled "Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation in the Tropics,"by Michael Green and others. The bulletin provides an assessment of "the extent to which habitats in the tropics are protected and guidance on prioritising conservation action from global and national perspectives."

The Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit international conservation organization, is dedicated to protecting "ecosystems and the people and wildlife that live within them by implementing better business practices for biodiversity conservation and sustainability." This particular Web page from the Rainforest Alliance offers a number of activities and other learning materials for the classroom, or just...

The Center for Biological Diversity blends "conservation biology with litigation, policy advocacy, and an innovative strategic vision" in efforts to protect endangered species and wild places, focusing on the western US. This Web site contains a slide show of images from the Algodones Dunes, California's largest dune system. The fourteen slides show images of the area's natural history and...

The World's Biomes, provided by the University California Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology, is an introduction to the earth's ecological regions. Biomes are the world's ecological communities, distinguishable by their predominant vegetation and by the organisms that have adapted to that vegetation. This site provides an introduction to the environmental and ecological features typical of various...

Research at the Environmental Protection Agency's Ecosystems Research Division (ERD) "includes studies of the behavior of contaminants, nutrients, and biota in environmental systems, and the development of mathematical models to assess the response of aquatic systems, watersheds and landscapes to stresses from natural and anthropogenic sources." The ERD website contains information about a wide...