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ConsVision_2018_Republish_Dec2023 (Map Service)


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Service Description: In 1998, conservationists in South Carolina faced a challenge we still recognize today: How do we protect our most important lands and waters in the most efficient way possible? 

Their solution was to bring together foresters, ecologists, biologists and conservation scientists to examine natural habitats and resources statewide, then to prioritize those assets based on their importance to preserving South Carolina wildlife, forests, waters and ways of life. The results were published as a Conservation Vision map and accompanying publication. 

While the original Conservation Vision has served its purpose well, significant new advances in conservation planning, urban growth predictions, wildlife movements and climatology have occurred since 1998. Twenty years later, it is appropriate to revisit the Conservation Vision. 

The South Atlantic and Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) have invested heavily in creating a shared conservation blueprint. The blueprint overlaps significantly with the original Conservation Vision map. This blueprint integrates data and feedback from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; local land trusts; conservation partners such as Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the National Audubon Society; and other federal, state and local groups. 

The LCCs have done much of the critical legwork in identifying shared conservation priorities among these diverse stakeholders, but we still must develop a framework on how to use that information to further conservation in South Carolina. 

We updated the 1998 Conservation Vision map by paring down the LCC conservation blueprint (version 2.2) to focus on core areas, buffers, corridors and cultural areas, like the original Vision map. 

· CORE AREAS: Large, functioning blocks of habitat, typically anchored by public lands, such as wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, state parks or national forests. These core lands typically are open for recreation and large enough to sustain healthy populations of plants and wildlife. These are 5000+ acre patches of highest and high priority conservation areas. These patches tend to support a wide range of important terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem conditions; however, some parts of the ecosystem are in poorer condition or are commonly found in other places. Conserving these areas not only maintains our natural legacy, but also can reduce regulatory burdens designed to protect rare species. 

· BUFFERS: Private lands adjacent to core areas increase the size of the core areas and buffer them from outside impacts. These areas could be key parts of roughly 10000+ acre patches but are often in poorer landscape condition. They typically have a network of seasonal wetlands or other unique and important aquatic features. Some of these areas are even row crop now, but if restored, could make important landscape scale contributions. Conservation easements protect lands at a fraction of the cost of acquisition and keep those lands on the local tax rolls. 

· CORRIDORS: Connected lands permit wildlife to move between core areas to access food, water, habitat and mates. Without effective corridors, core areas become isolated and lose species and ecological function over time. Corridors are least cost paths between cores and cover potential pathways for species to move between cores. Corridors can be protected by acquisitions or conservation easements. 

The 2018 Conservation Vision is also displayed with TNC’s highly resilient lands data. Resilience data uses connectivity and geophysical complexity (soil types, topography) to identify land protection targets resilient to changes from disturbance over time. The resilience data are provided to identify potential gaps in the conservation vision.


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Layers: Description: In 1998, conservationists in South Carolina faced a challenge we still recognize today: How do we protect our most important lands and waters in the most efficient way possible? 

Their solution was to bring together foresters, ecologists, biologists and conservation scientists to examine natural habitats and resources statewide, then to prioritize those assets based on their importance to preserving South Carolina wildlife, forests, waters and ways of life. The results were published as a Conservation Vision map and accompanying publication. 

While the original Conservation Vision has served its purpose well, significant new advances in conservation planning, urban growth predictions, wildlife movements and climatology have occurred since 1998. Twenty years later, it is appropriate to revisit the Conservation Vision. 

The South Atlantic and Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) have invested heavily in creating a shared conservation blueprint. The blueprint overlaps significantly with the original Conservation Vision map. This blueprint integrates data and feedback from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; local land trusts; conservation partners such as Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the National Audubon Society; and other federal, state and local groups. 

The LCCs have done much of the critical legwork in identifying shared conservation priorities among these diverse stakeholders, but we still must develop a framework on how to use that information to further conservation in South Carolina. 

We updated the 1998 Conservation Vision map by paring down the LCC conservation blueprint (version 2.2) to focus on core areas, buffers, corridors and cultural areas, like the original Vision map. 

· CORE AREAS: Large, functioning blocks of habitat, typically anchored by public lands, such as wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, state parks or national forests. These core lands typically are open for recreation and large enough to sustain healthy populations of plants and wildlife. These are 5000+ acre patches of highest and high priority conservation areas. These patches tend to support a wide range of important terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem conditions; however, some parts of the ecosystem are in poorer condition or are commonly found in other places. Conserving these areas not only maintains our natural legacy, but also can reduce regulatory burdens designed to protect rare species. 

· BUFFERS: Private lands adjacent to core areas increase the size of the core areas and buffer them from outside impacts. These areas could be key parts of roughly 10000+ acre patches but are often in poorer landscape condition. They typically have a network of seasonal wetlands or other unique and important aquatic features. Some of these areas are even row crop now, but if restored, could make important landscape scale contributions. Conservation easements protect lands at a fraction of the cost of acquisition and keep those lands on the local tax rolls. 

· CORRIDORS: Connected lands permit wildlife to move between core areas to access food, water, habitat and mates. Without effective corridors, core areas become isolated and lose species and ecological function over time. Corridors are least cost paths between cores and cover potential pathways for species to move between cores. Corridors can be protected by acquisitions or conservation easements. 

The 2018 Conservation Vision is also displayed with TNC’s highly resilient lands data. Resilience data uses connectivity and geophysical complexity (soil types, topography) to identify land protection targets resilient to changes from disturbance over time. The resilience data are provided to identify potential gaps in the conservation vision.


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