Fauna & Flora and WILDLABS invite you to a free, asynchronous, and four-part e-learning series that will build your confidence using GIS within conservation work. The courses are beginner-friendly and will have you working from fundamental theory up to using spatial analysis and geoprocessing in real-world scenarios.
This is Course 1: What is GIS and why should you care? It is suitable for someone completely new to GIS, or those who want to strengthen their GIS foundations. You don't need any software to follow along.
Course 1 will cover:
- What GIS is and how it can be used within conservation
- The fundamentals of GIS data
- An overview of coordinate systems
- Compelling cartography
Lessons Outline
Discussion
Use this space to ask questions, discuss with fellow participants, or share your thoughts after course completion.
Participants
Below are the WILDLABS members who have enrolled in and completed this course.

Freelance nature shutterbug

Zoologist. Ethologist. Firefighter.
Biologist on the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area located on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, headquartered in Perry.

Research Associate for Freshwater plants at Fish and Wildlife Institute

Software Developer, Teacher and Technical Trainer. Passionate about using tech for good
I am a Conservationist and Ornithologist passionate about biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability.
Further Reading
Want to learn more? There are many user guides, tutorials, and blog posts out there to learn more GIS! Here are just a few, but remember you can search "*what you want to learn**software you're using* tutorial" and more often than not help will come up.
GIS Fundamentals
- The GIS Certification Institute provide a great overview of the fundamentals of GIS data
- Mango map have a good simplified introduction to GIS
Coordinate Systems
- Also by Mango map and useful for finding coordinate systems is What UTM Zone am I in?
- The True Size Of... helps to visualise the effect of coordinate systems
Compelling Cartography
- If you're using ArcGIS Pro, John Nelson's YouTube has some great tutorials on how to create beautiful maps!
- If you're using QGIS there are many blog posts and videos teaching you different cartographic techniques, like this one!
Latest Course discussion