Biodiversity Significance

This data layer identifies areas of biodiversity significance. It was developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Aerial photography interpretation and field investigations were used to assign a native biodiversity significance ranking to sites within the landscape. The ranking is determined based on the number of rare species, the quality of the native plant communities, the size of the site, and the site's context within the landscape. These areas that may contain high quality native plant communities, rare plants, rare animals, and/or animal aggregations can be given priority for preservation.