Many rare species require large contiguous blocks of habitat to survive. Small patches of fields, forests and wetlands interspersed with development provide habitat for some common species but don't provide the necessary habitat for most of our rare wildlife. We need to protect large, contiguous blocks of forest, grasslands and wetlands to assure the survival of rare species over the long-term. Protecting large expanses of fields, forests and wetlands helps to ensure that rare species will remain a part of New Jersey's future. In addition to providing habitat for the conservation of rare species, protecting important wildlife habitat will result in more open space for outdoor recreation.
Open spaces provide places where people can escape the confines of urban and suburban living.
Retaining habitats in their natural state provides other benefits such as reducing the threat of flooding, allowing for the biodegradation of environmental contaminants and recharging ground water reserves. One of the unique features of the Landscape Project is that it focuses on the big picture and not just on individual rare species locations as they become threatened. The Landscape Project identifies critical wildlife habitats within large landscapes that must be preserved now if we want to assure the conservation of New Jersey's rare wildlife for future generations. Since many animal populations require large expanses of natural habitat for their long-term survival, the Landscape Project focuses on large areas that are ecologically similar with regard to their plant and animal communities. Areas of critical rare species habitat within each landscape region have been identified and mapped using an extensive database of rare species location information and land use classification data.