Which Lands Count toward the Million Acres?

Not all newly protected land in North Carolina counts toward the goal of protection 1 million acres.

To be counted, land must be permanently protected:

• by acquisition of a conservation easement, or
• through fee simple ownership (complete ownership of all property rights) by a public or private conservation-oriented entity.

Local, state and federal government conservation programs can hold land, as well as private, not-for-profit conservation groups.

The Million Acre Initiative tally does include permanently protected:

• parks
• farmland
• recreational areas
• hazard-prone lands
• wildlife preserves
• game lands
• water-quality buffers
• forest land
• coastal reserves
• trails and greenways
• wetlands
• scenic or culturally significant areas
• urban greenspaces

Many individual efforts are also underway that protect land on a temporary basis or that offer different degrees of protection to important open spaces. The Million Acre Initiative is working to support these other conservation efforts, even though they may not count toward the official goal to protection 1 million acres of land.