§ 2801. Definitions

As used in this section:

(1) “Ecological reserve area” means an area having permanent protection from conversion and that is managed to maintain a natural state within which natural ecological processes and disturbance events are allowed to proceed with minimal interference.

(2) “Biodiversity conservation area” means an area having permanent protection from conversion for the majority of the area and that is managed for the primary goal of sustaining species or habitats. These areas may include regular, active interventions to address the needs of particular species or to maintain or restore habitats.

(3) “Natural resource management area” means an area having permanent protection from conversion for the majority of the area but that is subject to long-term, sustainable land management.

(4) “Conversion” means a fundamental change in natural ecosystem type or habitat, natural or undeveloped land cover type, or natural form and function of aquatic systems.

(5) “Sustainable land management” means the stewardship and use of forests and forestlands, grasslands, wetlands, riparian areas, and other lands, including the types of agricultural lands that support biodiversity, in a way, and at a rate, that maintains or restores their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality, and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic, and social functions at local, State, and regional levels, and that does not degrade ecosystem function.

(6) “Conserved” means permanently protected and meeting the definition of ecological reserve area, biodiversity conservation area, or natural resource management area as defined in this section for purposes of meeting the 30 percent goal in subsection 2802(b) of this title. For purposes of meeting the 50 percent goal of subsection 2802(b) of this title, “conserved” primarily means permanently protected and meeting the definition of ecological reserve area, biodiversity conservation area, or natural resource management area as defined in this section, although other long-term land protection mechanisms and measures that achieve the goals of Vermont Conservation Design that are enforceable and accountable and that support an ecologically functional and connected landscape may be considered. (Added 2023, No. 59, § 3, eff. July 1, 2023.)