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Network Design

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Current and predicted future growth patterns throughout the United States threaten to destroy or degrade many natural habitats, jeopardizing many species that depend on them. The survival of natural habitats and species and the ability of the environment to provide essential ecosystem services, such as food and water, flood and pest control, nutrient recycling, and maintenance of clean air, water, and soil, largely depends on where and how land is conserved, managed, and developed.

Every day, land use planners are faced with decisions regarding where and how land is developed or used. Meanwhile, conservation groups and government agencies are working to identify priority conservation areas to help guide the investment of limited resources. But these activities often proceed independently. Building a conservation network, especially in a developing area, will require improved integration of land protection programs and local land use decisions. In combination, these decisions will determine the amount, character, and quality of the natural environment for many generations to come.

Identifying land and water needed for a conservation network can help planners decide where to direct other activities and to minimize degradation and loss of natural resources. A conservation network map is a critical tool for effective land use and conservation planning.

The benefits of conservation networks are
ecological  -   economic   -   social

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