The Yukon is about to start a systematic library of some of its most precious resources -- plants, birds, animals, and plant communities that are rare in the Yukon.

Several hundred species will eventually be part of the library, says Wendy Nixon, acting coordinator of NatureServe Yukon.

Among them are species of plants and insects that survived in isolation in the Beringian grasslands for thousands of years, cut off from the rest of the world by the huge glaciers of the latest ice age.

"They're a really interesting group, and they have a very limited global distribution," she adds.

NatureServe Yukon is a joint project begun last spring by Environment Canada and Environment Yukon. It's part of a much larger effort that currently includes 90 independent natural heritage programs and conservation data centres in the United States, Latin America, and Canada.

NatureServe itself is a non-profit, international organization formed in July 1999 to advance the application of biodiversity information to conservation. Information is collected and maintained by the member organizations, but summary information is coordinated and distributed through the NatureServe network. Much of that summary information is available through the Internet.

Summary information is used, because site specific information on rare species can be very sensitive and is managed with the health of the species in mind. The last thing that NatureServe or its member organizations want, explains Nixon, is for someone to dig up a rare orchid and transplant it to a private flower garden -- just one example why access to specific details regarding rare species is restricted.

All ten of Canada's provinces have NatureServe databases, but the Yukon is the first of the territories to participate. It's an important step in bringing rare species into the scope of land management and conservation planning, Nixon says.

For example, all the provinces know what rare plants grow within their borders and where they grow -- an important piece of information if rare species are to survive.

"We need to work on gathering existing information on plants, and we don't have a very good handle on most of the thousands of insects" she says.

Some species, including butterflies, dragonflies and several species from the Beringian area, have been studied. There is also a wealth of information within the Yukon; again, it's a matter of gathering the existing information.

The staff at NatureServe Yukon have started meeting with First Nations governments' Lands and Resources staff, Renewable Resource Councils, co-management boards and non-profit organizations, as well as other federal and territorial departments, in order to introduce the concept and invite partnerships.

"This information library will only be as good as whatever goes into it, both in terms of information and funding support -- success will depend on the partnerships we are working now to develop," Nixon says.

For example, if a First Nations government chooses to become involved as a partner with NatureServe Yukon, there would be opportunities to combine information from local traditional sources with recent biological surveys.

"One of NatureServe Yukon's most important jobs will be to identify and rank rare species," she adds. "Species are ranked based on their distribution, population, current trend in distribution and population, their number of occurrences (i.e. within their distribution range, they may only occur in a few spots), and threats to their habitat."

These ranks will feed into the "species at risk" process that will be developed to implement the Species at Risk Act.

Setting up the NatureServe database is no small job. Nixon hopes that the software will be installed and tested before spring. Then the real work begins.

"Entering the information into the database will take several years -- we know we can't do it all in the next couple of years. We will have to work with partners in setting priorities, both in terms of species and areas to focus on."

Although the focus of the NatureServe network is on rare and threatened species, NatureServe Yukon will also update a library of key habitat information for important common species that may not be at risk.

"Moose and sheep, for example, are not threatened with extinction, but many Yukon citizens depend on these species and want to manage important habitats in their area," Nixon explains. "NatureServe Yukon will manage mapped information on wintering areas and other important habitats used by species for which there is a conservation concern."

Nixon hopes that general information on rare species will available to resource managers and the public in three years. But the job won't be over. NatureServe Yukon will be a "living library" that is constantly updated as our knowledge grows and Yukon conditions change.

For more information about the international NatureServe network, go to www.natureserve.org. For information about NatureServe Yukon, contact Wendy Nixon at (867) 667-3684.