Tools for Prioritizing Lands for Conservation
Conserving land takes money, time, and other resources. Landowners and land conservation organizations can use the tools below to ensure their resources are being spent on the land with the highest conservation value.
- ConserveVirginia is a key strategic tool, found on the Natural Heritage Data Explorer, to guide investments in conservation to lands of the highest conservation value. The tool includes priority lands for:
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Cultural and Historic Preservation
- Floodplains and Flooding Resilience
- Natural Habitat and Ecosystem Diversity
- Protected Landscapes Resilience
- Scenic Preservation
- Water Quality Improvement
- DCR’s Natural Heritage Data Explorer (NHDE) is an interactive map that provides over 20 publicly accessible data layers with information on the conservation values and status of lands. The tool includes information on:
- Currently conserved lands
- Conservation sites
- Wildlife habitat
- Forest conservation
- Agricultural conservation
- Karst topography
- Recreational access
Go directly to the NHDE mapping tool.
To gain access to even more detailed information on natural heritage resources, organizations can subscribe to NHDE.
- The Virginia Outdoors Plan is the state's comprehensive plan for land conservation, outdoor recreation and open-space planning. The document covers recreational issues and needs, and it provides detailed regional analyses and recommendations.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
