A biodiversity unit of conservation attention and action for which a Conservation Status Rank is assigned.
Elements may be recognized at any taxonomic level (although typically are only recognized at the species level and below for organisms, and the Ecological System, Alliance, and Association levels for communities).
Elements may also be recognized for biodiversity units for which there is no systematic hierarchy (e.g., animal assemblages, community Complexes).
Elements may be native or exotic at a particular location and collectively represent the full array of biological and ecological diversity for the geographic area covered. Elements may serve as the targets of Heritage inventory. Typically, these targets include native, regularly occurring vulnerable species (including infraspecific taxa and populations) and exemplary ecological communities.