The essential element of Statewide Policies for Open Lands and Natural Systems is the protection of biological diversity, recreational and public open space, critical slopes and forested lands. The wide variation in physiography and climate in New Jersey has produced diverse landscapes that support a rich abundance and variety of fish and wildlife. The diversity of biological systems directly corresponds to the ability of an area to maintain stable and balanced populations of plant and animal species.
Biological diversity is important for many reasons.
It contributes to the economy of both the State and the nation in the form of medicine and other products of natural systems. In addition, fish, wildlife and plant communities are the harbingers, or early warning systems, of environmental degradation that threatens animal, plant and human life. Upland, unbroken forests serve as breeding and nesting sites for migratory birds. The State's open-space and recreational facilities are critical components of the infrastructure that supports the quality of life in New Jersey. In many areas of the State the need for recreational and public open-space land is urgent and substantial.