Land Conservation is Climate Action
As we look for solutions to climate change, one of the most powerful tools might be simpler than we imagine: protecting and caring for the land we already have.
Land conservation is a crucial and cost-effective solution.
Heritage Conservancy is hard at work protecting natural land and open space. Open space and undeveloped land help mitigate the effects of extreme weather and sequester carbon, while responsible land stewardship protects local water supplies and the pollinators we rely on for food.
It is a low-tech, common-sense solution that is within our grasp.
Preserving Natural Carbon Sinks
To fight global warming, we must sequester carbon, and land conservation is a vital solution.
Natural landscapes act as massive carbon sinks, with forests, meadows, and wetlands absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide for decades or longer. When we protect these areas from development, we not only maintain their carbon storage capacity — we prevent the release of stored carbon that happens when ecosystems are destroyed.
Climate Resilience as Weather Grows More Extreme
Open spaces also enhance climate resilience in our communities. Natural areas provide cooling effects, acting to combat urban heat islands. Wetlands, forests, and planted farm fields also help to reduce and absorb the stormwater runoff that can overwhelm built infrastructure.
Keeping land in its natural state also helps to maintain biodiversity that supports ecosystem services and stability. For instance, wetlands act as natural flood buffers while filtering pollutants and sequestering significant amounts of carbon.
An Efficient Climate Solution with Fringe Benefits
Land conservation offers immediate and sustained impact. Unlike new and developing technologies, protecting existing habitats and ecosystems can deliver climate benefits right away. At the same time, communities benefit from natural beauty, clean water and air, wildlife habitat, and access to nature.
The land we protect today will continue fighting climate change for generations to come.
The challenges we face can be overwhelming, and people who are concerned about our future often ask, ‘But what can we do?’ Heritage Conservancy is focused on getting good things done, and we operate at the perfect scale — large enough to be effective, small enough to be truly community-based — so we can be a go-to partner in helping our communities protect and care for the things that matter.”
Bill Kunze
Heritage Conservancy President and CEO
