Reaching a million: Land conservation patterns and process in North Carolina, 1999--2009

My research examines how land conservation efforts are carried out by institutions and informed by public policy using as a case study North Carolina's legislative commitment to conserve one million acres of open space from 1999 to 2009. I use a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze the spatial patterns of land conservation in relation to environmental and socioeconomic metrics, and compare land conservation efforts before and after 1999. Based on qualitative interview work with 39 professionals active in the conservation field, I discuss the role of the state's legislative commitment and describe how the institutions and resources of the conservation field have changed over time. I argue that further effective efforts to conserve beyond "one million" acres will require new messages and commitments from the state.