A spatial dataset of public and private lands and waters secured by a conservation situation that includes an explicit level of security from future conversion and current incompatible uses.For more information on TNC's Secured Lands project visit: www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationByGeography/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/edc/reportsdata/terrestrial/secured/Pages/default.aspx

The list of sources for this dataset can be found in the attached word document. The full report on the status and condition of the northeastern natural landscapes, under all levels of protection: https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationByGeography/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/edc/Documents/Conservation-Status-of-Fish-Wildlife-and-Natural-Habitats.pdf

The purpose of this dataset is to map protected lands and knowledge of their management regime, to help guide conservation efforts and measure their success.

The GAP Status Code is a measure of management intent to conserve biodiversity defined as:

Status 1: An area having permanent protection from conversion of natural land cover and a mandated management plan in operation to maintain a natural state within which disturbance events (of natural type, frequency, intensity, and legacy) are allowed to proceed without interference or are mimicked through management.

Status 2: An area having permanent protection from conversion of natural land cover and a mandated management plan in operation to maintain a primarily natural state, but which may receive uses or management practices that degrade the quality of existing natural communities, including suppression of natural disturbance.

Status 3: An area having permanent protection from conversion of natural land cover for the majority of the area, but subject to extractive uses of either a broad, low-intensity type (e.g., logging, OHV recreation) or localized intense type (e.g., mining). It also confers protection to federally listed endangered and threatened species throughout the area.

Status 4: There are no known public or private institutional mandates or legally recognized easements or deed restrictions held by the managing entity to prevent conversion of natural habitat types to anthropogenic habitat types. The area generally allows conversion to unnatural land cover throughout or management intent is unknown.
Status 9: Unknown

Status 39: Agricultural easements