{"id":2635,"date":"2008-06-30T22:04:46","date_gmt":"2008-06-30T22:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=2635"},"modified":"2008-06-30T22:04:46","modified_gmt":"2008-06-30T22:04:46","slug":"the-nature-conservancy-320000-acres-of-forest-protected-in-landmark-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/the-nature-conservancy-320000-acres-of-forest-protected-in-landmark-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nature Conservancy: 320,000 Acres of Forest Protected in Landmark Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Map<\/a>
\nFew places on Earth are as untouched as the “Crown of the Continent” \u2014 a 10-million-acre expanse of mountains, valleys and prairies in Montana and Canada. The area has sustained all the same species<\/strong> \u2014 including grizzlies, lynx, moose and bull trout \u2014 for at least 200 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now \u2014 in one of the most significant conservation sales in history<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land have preserved 320,000 acres of forestlands<\/strong> in western Montana<\/a> that provide valuable habitat for species in the Crown of the Continent.<\/p>\n

“There hasn’t been an animal extinction here since Lewis and Clark<\/a><\/strong> encountered it in the early 19th century,” explains Kat Imhoff, the Conservancy’s state director in Montana. “It’s the only such ecosystem in the Lower 48 states.”<\/p>\n

The deal is part of the Conservancy\u2019s large-scale efforts to protect forestlands around the world<\/a> \u2014 the majority of which are working forests supplying sustainably harvested timber.<\/p>\n

Over the past five years, the Conservancy has protected 3.5 million acres of forestlands<\/strong> \u2014 at a time when nearly one-half of Earth\u2019s original forest cover is gone<\/a> and global deforestation rates continue to rise.<\/p>\n

‘A Landmark Conservation Project’ That Also Benefits People<\/h3>\n

The initiative \u2014 known as the Montana Legacy Project<\/a> \u2014 helps more than nature. Crucial to the deal are its benefits to people, including:<\/p>\n