New Jersey Highlands CouncilA Significant Natural Area represents a site or area, typically with unusual or exemplary floristic qualities, that constitutes an outstanding example of that particular resource type (such as bog, forest or geological feature). They typically will possess exceptional ability to illustrate the natural or cultural heritage of the Highlands Region. They offer excellent opportunities for education or scientific research because they retain a high degree of ecological integrity as well as a relatively unspoiled example of a natural community type. A Significant Natural Area may include publicly held lands whose long term stewardship needs to be carefully tailored to ensure that their values are maintained and preserved, or other lands whose value may be compromised through inappropriate or incompatible land use practices and whose acquisition and management should be prioritized. To assist in the identification of those areas deemed ecologically significant, the Highlands Council employed the use of the New Jersey Natural Heritage Program's (NHP) Priority Sites data. Using their Natural Heritage Database, the NHP developed the Natural Heritage Priority Sites for Rare Plants and Ecological Communities of the Highlands. The NHP has identified 95 significant natural areas using data collected over the more than 20 year history of the program. This dataset represents some of the best remaining habitat for rare plant species and exemplary ecological communities within the Highlands region. The destruction or degradation of these sites may result in the loss of unique components of our natural heritage. Using the NHP data the NJ Highlands Council further refined the data by excluding developed land-uses from the Priority Sites used in the Highlands's Significant Natural Area analysis.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/b333278b89914cd8ba6bccd7b60ffb2c_1engNew Jersey Geographic Information Network (NJGIN) Open Data PortalPublicNatural Heritage Priority Sites [New Jersey]Web servicesNew JerseyLast Modified: 2008-07-01