Appalachia prioritized for conservation alongside the Amazon rainforest; major easement is set for sale in 2028

Appalachia has been recognized by The Nature Conservancy as one of four priority areas “with global importance for weathering future changes,” along with the Amazon rainforest, Kenya and Borneo, Kim Kobersmith reports for The Daily Yonder.

The Appalachian region is a conservation priority because it spans nearly 2,000 miles with immense, contiguous habitat biodiversity. It is also a hub for bird migration because there is minimal interference from human-made barriers like roads or walls. Even so, Appalachia is a region devastated by exploitative practices like mining and logging.

But The Nature Conservancy saw what was coming, and in 2018, bought 253,000 acres of Appalachian land to protect in perpetuity. The experimental program was dubbed The Cumberland Forest Project. The project spans three states, and 53,000 acres of land were sold to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in 2024 through a conservation easement.

The program operates on a local, regional and national scale, heavily considering, seeking and financially supporting local communities. However, the conservancy only planned to steward the program for 10 to\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 12 years, and their ownership could be coming to a close in 2028. “While any new owners will be constrained by the easements, the hope is to find buyers who will fully embrace and further the work The Nature Conservancy and its partners began," Kobersmith reports.