The Alabama Natural Heritage ProgramSM is an ongoing, computer-assisted ecological inventory adminstered through the Auburn University Environmental Institute. The program was begun in January of 1989, and exists to clearly identify significant natural "elements" (rare and endangered species and communities of species) and to help establish conservation priorities in Alabama. Introduced by The Nature Conservancy in 1974, the heritage concept is described by its originator, Dr. Robert E. Jenkins, as "a permanent and dynamic atlas and data bank on the existence, characteristics, numbers, condition, status, location, and distribution of element occurrences of natural biological diversity". Natural heritage programs or conservation data centers are established in all 50 states, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Together, these programs form the Natural Heritage Network, a centralized repository of information about threatened species and their habitats. The network is represented by NatureServe, a non-profit conservation organization that provides the scientific information and tools needed to help guide effective conservation action.

The purpose of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program is to provide the best available scientific information on the biological diversity of Alabama to guide conservation action and promote sound stewardship practices within the state and throughout the Southeast.