The PAD-US requires a network of collaborators and other stakeholders, in order to integrate the best available data into a comprehensive national inventory.

This section of the web site is your resource for information about protected areas data, including the PAD-US, but also data inventories in individual states, agencies and organizations as well as best practice examples and outside resources.

1. Find Data by using our online database of inventories held by states, agencies and organizations - contribute information by using our simple registration and login system. This wiki-like database is constantly improving and you can help make it even better by adding in your knowledge.
2. Preview Data by linking to the USGS Gap Analysis Program web mapper that allows display of the current PAD-US. Links to other web mappers will be added in the future.
3. Best Practices are described in this section, which highlights a few of the many good strategies for developing and maintaining protected land inventories.
4. Publications and Links let you browse directly to organizations and programs of interest to those working on protected area inventories.