About the Alberta Conservation Information Management System

Overview

The Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS) is the conservation data centre for Alberta. ACIMS manages information about the location and conservation status of species and ecological communities (Elements) in Alberta. ACIMS is one of over 60 conservation data centres in the international NatureServe network and uses NatureServe methodology.

ACIMS data includes:

• lists and ranks of species and ecological communities in Alberta
• locations of species and ecological communities of conservation concern (Element Occurrences)

Note: see the ACIMS definitions page for explanation of terms.

History

Biodiversity conservation requires rapid and efficient access to information on species and ecological communities (Elements). This is especially true given the increasing pace of land use and resource development. Careful stewardship of natural areas requires detailed knowledge of significant biological features.

ACIMS was established in 1996 and originally called ANHIC, the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre. It was created as a partnership with Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Parks Canada and the Nature Conservancy to address the need for credible data for protected areas planning and management.

What ACIMS does

ACIMS collects, processes and distributes information on Elements of biological and physical diversity, including species, ecological communities and landforms.*

The work of ACIMS can be visualized as a cycle with 4 steps:

1. ACIMS lists Elements for Alberta, along with status ranks (see “General Status of Wild Species”).
2. ACIMS track and watch lists are updated to include Elements of conservation concern. Elements may be added or removed from these lists based on current data, including provincial, national and global status ranks.
3. Data is collected for tracked Elements. This data is processed and mapped as Element Occurrences and distributed through ACIMS data products.
4. Elements listed for Alberta are reviewed and status ranks updated when required (return to step 1).

Keeping ACIMS data current involves processing and interpreting complex datasets covering over 20,000 Elements, spanning all forms of life documented in Alberta. The ACIMS database is continually growing as new Elements are identified in Alberta. Changes to species names and classifications are also common and require adjustments to the ACIMS database.

* ACIMS does not currently collect data on landforms of Alberta. To learn more about previous projects to describe and map landforms in Alberta, read Elements of biodiversity.

NatureServe network

ACIMS is a member of NatureServe Canada. NatureServe provides the database used by ACIMS, and a common methodology for collection, interpretation and dissemination of biodiversity information. This includes:

• standards in taxonomy and nomenclature
• terminology
• conservation status ranking methods
• methods for mapping biodiversity data

These standards make it possible for data centres throughout the world to exchange data in an efficient manner.

For more information, read the methodology used by ACIMS and definitions of NatureServe terms.

ACIMS vs FWMIS

The Government of Alberta has 2 biological databases, ACIMS and the Fisheries and Wildlife Management Information System (FWMIS). These databases have different methodologies and different purposes, but each supplies important and complementary information. Ensure you consult both in your research.

• ACIMS processes selected observations into occurrences (Element Occurrences). The data publicly available in ACIMS are for ecological communities and species groups such as invertebrates, plants, and fungi. While ACIMS does contain some vertebrate data, FWMIS is the primary location for that data.
• FWMIS is the primary location for vertebrate animal observation data (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish). FWMIS houses data for common and rare species.

Citations

Citing ACIMS in reports and publications

Use this wording when referencing ACIMS data used in figures, reports, etc.:

• Alberta Conservation Information Management System. Online data accessed (insert date accessed). Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, Edmonton, Alberta.