Venture anywhere across our great state and you’ll see signs of change. Whether it’s industrial warehouses, new subdivisions, or transportation projects, our landscape is changing—and fast.
Atlanta is no stranger to this growth, fueled by low-intensity development. But now this change is accelerating everywhere. From Rome to Savannah, and from Athens to Valdosta, our farmlands, forests, and wetlands are being converted at unprecedented rates. These trends are straining Georgia’s natural systems—the very foundations of our economy, public health, and quality of life.
For decades, Georgia has embraced growth. It’s one of the reasons our state boasts such a high quality of life. But as an organization that believes a strong economy and a healthy environment can grow side by side, we know there’s a bright future in store for our state if we can balance the two.
We need places to live. We need to invest in jobs. But building homes and investing in our economy mustn’t come at the expense of our land’s integrity and health.
That’s why Georgia Conservancy believes every acre matters.
A New Strategic Plan
Georgia Conservancy is going on 60 years—and since 1967, we have advocated for a balanced approach that allows our environment and our communities to thrive.
This Spring, we unveiled a new strategic plan that will allow us to continue building a Georgia where every Georgian has access to fresh water, nature, and a voice in how our state grows. Through this plan, we’ve sharpened our focus and strengthened our foundation. Through this plan, we can build the future we want to see.
The plan focuses on four main goals:
- Focus on private lands conservation
- Reduce fragmentation from development
- Share our message, lead the conversation
- Strengthen our organizational foundation
The Importance of Private Lands
Approximately 90% of Georgia’s land is privately owned. Only 10% is held in conservation, either in federal and state programs or through nonprofit land trusts. This is one of the lowest rates in the nation—but it doesn’t have to be.
Georgia’s economy is rooted in our land. Our agribusiness and forestry sectors are some of the strongest in the nation, bringing in billions of dollars per year. The economic benefits of outdoor recreation are not far behind. There is tremendous value in helping landowners who operate working farms and forests to hold onto their land—because once it’s developed, there is no going back.
Georgia Conservancy knows that landowners will make whatever decision is best for them. But many landowners aren’t aware they have choices to conserve their land—donations to land trusts, conservation easements, tax incentives, and more. Expanding these options is the best and fastest way to move the needle on protecting Georgia’s land for generations to come.
Growth Can Fragment Landscapes
Conservation of these wild and working lands is critical. But the process of conserving land moves much more slowly than the process of developing it.
Through research led by Georgia Conservancy, in partnership with Georgia Tech, we discovered that low-intensity development—everything from single-family neighborhoods to large-scale industrial development—is the #1 driver of land cover change. This type of development reshapes our landscapes. It cuts into forests, replaces family farms with structures, and fills in ecologically vital wetlands.
A robust conservation strategy must address how we conserve land and how we use it. It must guide which lands we put into production, and how. And if we grow in ways that limit our environmental impact, then we save more land for conservation in the long run.
Creating a Culture of Conservation
Our land use choices impact more than just our habitats, our water quality, or our industries that work the land. They also impact our communities. But the benefits of sustainable growth and appropriate stewardship of our land are not always understood, if they’re communicated at all.
Georgia Conservancy knows that to make lasting change, we must work to put conservation values first. This looks like speaking with local elected officials about the importance of conservation funding, or working with city councils and county commissions to build strong land use protections that reflect the value of our working farms and forests.
It also means building the next generation of conservationists through regular excursions to our precious places, or face-to-face interactions with farmers, from mountain orchards to oyster farms in our coastal marshlands. It is showing how our environment supports every facet of our lives and livelihoods—and helping Georgians cherish it.
Carrying Our Work Forward: Common Questions About Georgia Conservancy’s Strategic Plan
During our April webinar focused on the new strategic plan, Georgia Conservancy President Katherine Moore spoke to the importance of these goals. She also fielded questions from our supporters about how Georgia Conservancy’s current work fits in with this sharpened focus. Some of those questions are below, along with questions that came up during the development of the plan.
• Will Georgia Conservancy continue to advocate for statewide policy that supports conservation? Yes, absolutely! This is one of the most critical areas of our work. While change most often happens at the local level, piece by piece, we know that statewide legislation and agency programming shape so much of our landscape and we will continue to advocate for the protection of land, water, and wildlife at the Capitol
• How will wildlife and species protection be addressed? Every threatened and endangered species in Georgia needs a thriving ecosystem—based on the integrity and health of our land and waters—to support its habitat. Supporting land conservation—even working lands which can support pollinator species, birds, and more—in key areas helps us advance species protection efforts. That’s why we’re so committed to helping the Georgia Department of Natural Resources meet its goals set out in the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan! This plan establishes a network of hubs and corridors that will be critical to conserve over the long term for the health of our wildlife.
• What about your historic focus on Georgia’s coast? Is that going away? Absolutely not! Our nearly 110-mile coast is a unique and important landscape for conservation—and though it is distinctive, it faces similar challenges related to growth and fragmentation. Land conservation efforts and sustainable land use are just as important, if not more so, for our state’s resilience as they are upstate. Our coastal focus will continue to protect our landscapes (barrier islands and marsh, especially), reduce fragmentation (especially in growing communities like the Savannah metro region and southeast Georgia), and build a culture of conservation by promoting species protection (including the North Atlantic right whale) and working with local officials to open hearts and minds to the value of our ecologically unique coast.
• My favorite part of Georgia Conservancy’s programming is the trips. How do those fit in? Great question! What better way to build a culture of conservation than to bring people to the outdoors? Our Stewardship Trips have always been more than just outdoor excursions. They’re a chance to learn more about the importance of conservation and the ecological systems that conservation supports. They are also often a chance to give back through service projects. Under this new plan, our Stewardship Trips will continue to provide hands-on education about the beauty and significance of our environment.
• How can I help? The best way to help is to support us with a donation. One-time donations or recurring, large or small—every little bit counts and helps us protect Georgia acre by acre.
• I can’t donate right now, but I still want to support you. Is there an option for me? Of course! If you believe in our mission, spreading the word about the importance of land conservation and its benefits is tremendously helpful. We also work with a multitude of amazing partners who support our work—some of which you may already be involved with. Take a look at our Start Here page and see if there’s something that might be right for you.
Click here to see a summary of our new Strategic Plan
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