To date we know of around 50,000 species of organism in Switzerland. Each year new information is gained on the occurrence, mode of life and habitat requirements of organism species as well as on habitat characteristics and functions. The preservation and processing of this information in databases and GIS-based tools are prerequisites both for synthesis founded on sound scientific principles and for an assessment of the effects of interventions and measures on species and habitats. The tools also help to judge future trends which could result, for example, from climate change or new farming techniques.
In the Eco Fauna Database and Vegetation Database ART has at its disposal two tools of national importance for the preservation and synthesis of knowledge. GIS is being used to analyse this information in both spatial and temporal terms to meet the requirements of research, policy and commercial farming.