The secured areas dataset shows public and private lands that are permanently secured against conversion to development through fee ownership, easements, or permanent conservation restrictions.
Each parcel is classified by its GAP status: a classification developed by the US Fish and Wildlife service to reflect the intent of the landowner or easement holder. GAP 1 and 2 are commonly thought of as “protected” land, while GAP 3 are “multiple-use”.
Citation: Crist, P.J., B. Thompson, T. C. Edwards, C. G. Homer, S. D. Bassett. 1998. Mapping and Categorizing Land Stewardship. A Handbook for Conducting Gap Analysis).
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
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.
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) or localized intense type (e.g., mining). It also confers protection to federally listed endangered and threatened species throughout the area.
The Dataset is compiled from a mix of federal, state and local data sources: