Biodiversity Ecological Survey (BES)

8. Calculate the Biodiversity Index Diversity is a measure of the number of species that inhabit a given area. The higher the Overall Diversity Index, between 0 and 1, the more diverse a particular habitat is. The index becomes more accurate as the number of individuals encountered during a survey increase. Materials BES Taxa Data Sheet Diversity of Index Data Sheet pencil calculator with a square root function 9. Share your data with your community and save to compare by season Help youth use the data they have collected to raise awareness of biodiversity within their community through media resources, including tribal radio stations, newspapers, websites, and powerpoint presentations. 10. Work with youth to plan clean up and site conservation activities Using youths' research and biodiversity index score at your site, work with community members, tribal environmental professionals, and elders to develop a plan to restore the site by removing trash, invasive weeds, or fencing that restricts animals' use. At some sites, it may also be appropriate to plant native trees or other plants, or build and install bat or bird houses. Consult your local community to decide what is best for your site. Page 1 2 3