Council on Environmental Quality

image 1

Indicators:  Farm, Forest, Wetland

Preserved Land

2007 Data Not on Track

It was a slow year for conservation, with fewer than 3,000 acres preserved by land-saving organizations, the state, cities and towns. To meet its goal for 2023, Connecticut must preserve more than 11,000 acres every year.



Preserved Lands, Trends and Composition

State law (C.G.S. 23-8(b)) sets a goal of conserving 21% of Connecticut’s land area. The Green Plan, Connecticut’s official land conservation plan, establishes 2023 as the target date. The graph titled "Combined Acreage of Preserved Land" displays progress toward the 21% goal. Current acreage of each type of land is shown in the chart labeled “Acres of Conserved Land by Ownership.” The types of land are:

• State-owned forests, parks, and wildlife areas
• Class I and II watershed lands owned by water utilities
• Estimated municipal open space
• Estimated nonprofit lands (land trusts, The Nature Conservancy, etc.)
• Federal conservation land (technically not part of the state’s 21% goal, but nonetheless important to conservation of the landscape)

From 2000 through 2003, the pace of land preservation was sufficient to keep Connecticut on track toward its 2023 goal, but acquisition slowed in 2004 through 2007.