Location of the elements

In identifying locations for each element, the scientists producing the BioMap did more than record where each species or community is currently found. In producing a land protection map identifying the the most important areas for conservation attention they also considered

• The degree of threat faced by each species and community, both globally and within the state (Table 2) and

  
  

  Table 2: The categories of threat used in categorizing threats to individual species in the BioMap project.

  Rarity	Description
  Critically imperiled	$<$5 occurrrences or $<$ 1000 individuals
  Imperiled	6-20 occurrences or 1000-3000 inidividuals
  Vulnerable	21-100 occurrences or 3000-10,000 individuals
  Apparently secure	$>$100 occurrences or 10,000 individuals
  Secure	Common, widespread, and abundant

  
  

• The viability of each known occurrence (Table 3).

  
  

  Table 3: The factors used in assessing the viability of each known occurrence of an element.

  Factor	Component
  Size	Area of occupancy
  	Number of individuals
  	Population density
  	Population fluctuation
  Condition	Reproductive success and health
  	Maturity of natural community
  	Species composition, biological structure, and presence of exotic species
  	Ecological processes and degree of disturbance
  	Physical and chemical factors
  Landscape context	Landscape structure, connectivity, fragmentation, and patchiness
  	Condition of the surrounding landscape