diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/gdal/libgdal.py b/django/contrib/gis/gdal/libgdal.py
index 7c6b128e0f..91f8d618fc 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/gdal/libgdal.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/gdal/libgdal.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from ctypes import c_char_p, c_int, CDLL, CFUNCTYPE
 from ctypes.util import find_library
 
 from django.contrib.gis.gdal.error import OGRException
-
+from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 
 logger = logging.getLogger('django.contrib.gis')
 
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ logger = logging.getLogger('django.contrib.gis')
 try:
     from django.conf import settings
     lib_path = settings.GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH
-except (AttributeError, EnvironmentError, ImportError):
+except (AttributeError, EnvironmentError,
+        ImportError, ImproperlyConfigured):
     lib_path = None
 
 if lib_path:
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py b/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py
index d19644ac49..f011208ea0 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ from ctypes import c_char_p, Structure, CDLL, CFUNCTYPE, POINTER
 from ctypes.util import find_library
 
 from django.contrib.gis.geos.error import GEOSException
-
+from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 
 logger = logging.getLogger('django.contrib.gis')
 
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ logger = logging.getLogger('django.contrib.gis')
 try:
     from django.conf import settings
     lib_path = settings.GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH
-except (AttributeError, EnvironmentError, ImportError):
+except (AttributeError, EnvironmentError,
+        ImportError, ImproperlyConfigured):
     lib_path = None
 
 # Setting the appropriate names for the GEOS-C library.