Natural Area Protection
The Virginia Natural Area Preserves Act (1989) authorized the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a natural area preserves system and a natural areas registry and to set conservation priorities. Once the Natural Heritage Division has set these priorities, protection staff seek to apply appropriate available conservation tools to protect the site. There are three available tools: 1) Dedication of Natural Areas Preserves, 2) Natural Areas Registration 3) administrative designations.
Dedication as a natural area preserve affords perpetually and legally binding safeguards for natural heritage resources while registry is a nonbinding protection tool. Administrative designations may be applied to Federally owned lands.
For more information on these protection tools contact the staff of the Natural Area Protection section.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
