U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceNature's Network Conservation Design depicts an interconnected network of lands and waters that, if protected, will support a diversity of fish, wildlife, and natural resources that the people of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region depend upon. This map serves as the "cover page" for the Nature's Network suite of products: it outlines some of the most important natural areas in the region and provides an entry point to learn more about the information used to identify them. The Conservation Design represents a combination of three Nature's Network products: 1) the terrestrial core-connector network, 2) aquatic core areas, and 3) core habitat for imperiled species. The Core Connector Network is made up of two components: 1) terrestrial and wetland core areas, and 2) connectors. Terrestrial and wetland core areas are intact, well-connected places that have the potential to support wildlife and plants that occur in terrestrial settings (such as upland forests) or in wetlands (such as marshes). These core areas contain important or unique features, including intact, resilient examples of every major ecosystem type in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Core areas contain widespread ecosystems (such as hardwood forests), rare natural communities (such as bogs), and important habitat for a variety of fish, wildlife, and plants. By design, they encompass approximately 25% of the landscape of the region. Core areas are linked together by a network of connectors . If protected, the connectors will foster the movement of animals and plants between core areas and across the landscape into the future. An additional feature of the Terrestrial Core-connector Network is a separately derived network of Grassland Bird Core Areas , the top 10% of which are incorporated into Nature's Network Conservation Design.ArcGIS DynamicMapLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/d32131ae9a5a4b69944bf7dc828928fa_0engU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open DataPublicNature's Network Conservation Design [United States]Web servicesUnited StatesLast Modified: 2023-01-03