The continued fragmentation of farm and forest land into smaller and smaller parcels is an issue of concern for both the hunting community and for those interested in the overall health of our natural heritage.
Virginia ranks 8th in the nation for globally rare animals and 14th for globally rare plants. The Virginia Division of Natural Heritage maintains a database of “natural heritage resources,” which are defined as the habitat of rare, threatened, or endangered plant and animals species, unique or exemplary natural communities, and significant caves and karst.
The Division of Natural Heritage tracks 1,296 “elements” of natural heritage and has idenitfied almost 10,000 individual occurances or populations of these elements. Over 1,600 conservation sites have been delineated, key areas of the landscape worthy of protection and stewardship action because of the natural heritage resources and habitat they support.
Natural Heritage Resources in the VCC region:
- 17.4% of statewide “Sites”
- 33.7% of statewide “Elements”
- 18.4% of statewide “Occurences”
- 25.1% of state sites of “very high” or “outstanding” significance
- 32.0% of regional sites rank “very high” or “outstanding” in significance
The VCC region, while making up 14 percent of the state’s land area, contains a far greater proportion of natural heritage resources.
