During the last decade, several other federal laws also have had an impact on the 

 design and development of fish and wildlife species data bases. These laws include: 

 the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Re- 

 sources Planning Act of 1974, the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976, 

 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1976, and the Soil and Water Resources 

 Conservation Act of 1977. 



In 1980, it is no longer practical, without a comprehensive computerized fish and 

 wildlife species data base, to meet information requirements for assessment, 

 inventory, and planning on a national or state scale.' Also, the concept of managing 

 ecological systems or ecosystems has gained acceptance. Land use management and 

 planning are increasing at all levels of government from local to national. 

 Collectively, these factors have significantly influenced the budget process by 

 allocating additional funds and personnel to improve available fish and wildlife 

 information by designing and implementing numerous state or federal fish and 

 wildlife species computerized data bases.* 



DESIGN OF FISH AND WILDLIFE SPECIES DATA BASES 



One of the major aspects of designing a fish and wildlife species data base is the 

 identification offish and wildlife information needs; that is, who needs what types of 

 data, in what format, and for what purposes. For example, biologists frequently need 

 information that is too detailed for land managers and policy administrators. On the 

 other hand, administrators and managers must have fish and wildlife information 

 that enables them to meet legal, policy, and bugetary directives at several levels 

 regarding differing land uses and ownership (Figure 1). The basic question is, "Can 

 we design a fish and wildlife species data base that will meet the information needs of 

 the biologist, resource manager, and administrator at different levels of decision- 

 making concerning lands (terrestrial and aquatic) used differently and owned by 

 different groups?" 



The design of fish and wildlife species data bases involves four basic factors. 



First, many of the fish and wildlife information needs of biologists, managers, and 

 administrators can be answered by asking the following questions: 



• What animals are present (diversity and distribution) and how many are there 

 (quantity)? 



Figure 1. Factors influencing the design of fish and wildlife species data bases. 



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