The Garden State is at a crossroads, according to 'Nature for All,' a new report released by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and more than 70 collaborators. With a total land area of about 5 million acres, New Jersey is home to over 9 million people, making it the most densely populated state in the nation. To date, about 1.8 million acres have been developed here, and approximately 1.6 million acres of forests, wetlands, parks, trails, and farmland have been preserved. What will happen to the remaining 1.6 million acres?
According to the report, about 1.4 million acres in New Jersey are currently vulnerable to development, of which nearly 1 million acres are highly ranked for ecological, water, and agricultural values. To ensure the health of residents, the preservation of biodiversity, and the future livability of the state, the report calls for preserving at least 50% (500,000 acres) of these remaining lands by 2050.
After a lifetime of research, renowned evolutionary biologist and 'Half Earth' author Dr. E.O. Wilson strenuously argued that we must set aside about 50% of the earth's surface as a natural reserve to save biodiversity, stabilize the environment, and safeguard human survival. He maintained that humans depend upon a high level of biodiversity in order to survive and determined that protecting 50 percent of the natural environment would save 85 percent of the world's plants and animals, including humans. Currently, however, only about 15% of Earth's lands and 7.5% of its seas are under some form of protection.
While New Jersey has been a leader in preservation, with nearly a third of its land now permanently protected, development continues to expand across the state. Meanwhile, the rate at which the natural environment is being preserved has slowed considerably. The report examines how trends in both preservation acreage and transactions have declined or flattened recently. At its peak in the early 2000s, New Jersey was preserving 18,000 to 20,000 acres per year. During the past decade, this has slowed to about 12,000 acres a year. But why?
The report goes on to identify multiple potential causes and offers a number of recommendations, including new funding sources, project prioritization, process streamlining, enhanced incentives, and increased agency staffing. "These goals require significant capital expenditures and ongoing funding support," the report acknowledges, "however, every public dollar spent on land preservation and repairing, revitalizing, and greening urban areas will produce tangible benefits in perpetuity."
At a time when climate change threatens human health, water supplies, farmland, biodiversity, and more, the urgency of preserving the remaining high-quality lands in the great Garden State has never been more apparent. And yet, much-needed funding and reforms seem to be ever more elusive.
To read the report, visit: https://lnkd.in/gXdTWTaf
