Since the Million Acre Initiative began, more than 150,000 acres of land have been permanently protected in North Carolina. Each of these properties serves one or more purposes, from protecting wildlife habitat to preserving a culturally significant area. Click on a category below to view information about some of the lands preserved as part of the Million Acre Initiative. Lands that serve multiple purposes are listed under more than one category.

• Wildlife habitat
• Recreation
• Culture
• Water quality
• Flood mitigation

Other lands
Some land protection efforts are not counted as part of the initiative. To count toward the million acre goal, a piece of land must be permanently protected by a private or public conservation organization. However, nonpermanent land protection strategies, including long-term leases and management agreements, are also important for realizing North Carolina's broader natural-area and water-quality protection goals. Lands protected permanently but not owned and managed by a conservation-oriented organization can also play an important role in developing a network of open spaces. Click here to learn about land protection efforts that are not included in the million acre count.