Not all newly protected land in North Carolina counts toward the million acre goal. 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.
Some of the types of land that are being protected include:
- farmland
- recreational areas
- hazard-prone lands
- wildlife preserves
- hunting areas
- water-quality buffers
- forest land
- trails
- greenways
- wetlands
- scenic or culturally significant areas, and
- 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 efforts, even though they may not count toward the official million acre goal.