Land Conservation
Goal
Conserve treasured landscapes in order to maintain water quality and habitat; sustain working forests, farms and maritime communities; and conserve lands of cultural, indigenous and community value.
Importance
The landscapes around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are ecologically, culturally, historically and recreationally valuable to the people and communities of the region. Stimulating, renewing and expanding commitments to conserve priority lands for use and enjoyment are integral parts of furthering the watershed’s identity and spirit.
Outcomes
Protected Lands
The human population in the Chesapeake Bay watershed continues to grow. The development and land conversion this growth implies are among the top stressors the Bay ecosystem will face, and are threats to its restoration and protection. One way to combat the loss of forests, wetlands and other habitats is to permanently protect these lands from development.- Outcome:
- By 2025, protect an additional two million acres of lands throughout the watershed—currently identified as high-conservation priorities at the federal, state or local level—including 225,000 acres of wetlands and 695,000 acres of forest land of highest value for maintaining water quality.
- Lead Goal Implementation Team:
- Fostering Chesapeake Stewardship Goal Implementation Team (GIT 5)
- Lead Workgroup:
- Protected Lands Workgroup
- Management Strategy:
- 2018 2019 protected lands management strategy [PDF, 619.4 KB]
- Strategy Review System Update:
- Narrative | Presentation
- Archived Strategy Review System Documents:
- View Archived Strategy Review System Documents
Land Use Methods and Metrics Development
Land use change is a local issue with regional consequences. If not understood, mitigated or otherwise planned for, land use change can affect restoration and protection efforts. Improving our understanding and tracking of these changes will allow us to share this information with local governments, elected officials and other stakeholders. The outcome was modified by the Principals' Staff Committee in January 2020.
- Outcome:
Continually improve our knowledge of land conversion and the associated impacts throughout the watershed. By December 2021, develop a watershed-wide methodology and local-level metrics for characterizing the rate of farmland, forest and wetland conversion, measuring the extent and rate of change in impervious surface coverage and quantifying the potential impacts of land conversion to water quality, healthy watersheds and communities. Launch a public awareness campaign to share this information with local governments, elected officials and stakeholders
Original Outcome: Continually improve the knowledge of land conversion and the associated impacts throughout the watershed. By 2016, develop a watershed-wide methodology and local-level metrics for characterizing the rate of farmland, forest and wetland conversion, measuring the extent and rate of change in impervious surface coverage and quantifying the potential impacts of land conversion to water quality, healthy watersheds and communities. Launch a public awareness campaign to share this information with local governments, elected officials and stakeholders
- Lead Goal Implementation Team:
- Maintain Healthy Watersheds Goal Implementation Team (GIT 4)
- Lead Workgroup:
- Land Use Workgroup
- Management Strategy:
- Land Use Methods and Metrics and Land Use Options Evaluation Management Strategy 060723 [PDF, 624.8 KB]
- Strategy Review System Update:
- Narrative | Presentation
- Archived Strategy Review System Documents:
- View Archived Strategy Review System Documents
Land Use Options Evaluation
- Outcome:
By the end of 2017, with the direct involvement of local governments or their representatives, evaluate policy options, incentives and planning tools that could assist them in continually improving their capacity to reduce the rate of conversion of agricultural lands, forests and wetlands as well as the rate of changing landscapes from more natural lands that soak up pollutants to those that are paved over, hardscaped or otherwise impervious. Strategies should be developed for supporting local governments’ and others’ efforts in reducing these rates by 2025 and beyond.
- Lead Goal Implementation Team:
- Maintain Healthy Watersheds Goal Implementation Team (GIT 4)
- Management Strategy:
- Land Use Methods and Metrics and Land Use Options Evaluation Management Strategy 060723 [PDF, 624.8 KB]
- Strategy Review System Update:
- Narrative | Presentation
- Archived Strategy Review System Documents:
- View Archived Strategy Review System Documents