Managed Areas

The Natural Heritage Program maintains GIS data on conservation lands throughout North Carolina. These “Managed Areas” are a diverse collection of properties and easements where conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function are among the goals of the land management programs.

This collection of conservation areas will inform a variety of users – from the general public to professional land managers – when making decisions about conservation, land management, land use planning, and recreation.

• Visit our Data Download page for a shapefile of Managed Areas.
• Use our Data Explorer to view Managed Areas on-line.

Protected Areas Database of the United States

The Natural Heritage Program serves as the state steward for the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) and provides data on North Carolina’s protected lands to the U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program (USGS GAP).

PAD-US is a national geodatabase that represents public land ownership and conservation lands, including privately owned areas, for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Pacific and US Virgin Islands.

Evening Primrose at McLean Savanna Preserve by LeBlond