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Regional Cores: Broad areas of regional significance that have high internal landscape connectivity. Five cores were identified and mapped: 1) Shawnee-Peabody-Land between the Lakes; 2) Southern Blue Ride-Upper Tennessee River Basin; 3) Central Appalachian-Allegheny; 4) Heart's Content-Northwest Pennsylvania; 5) Delaware Water Gap-Catskills

Core Corridor Image: For Interactive Conservation Planning and Design research project.

Conservation Design Elements Map: Depiction of conservation design for the Appalachian LCC with all five of the design elements - regional cores, local cores, regional linkages, valley and ridge linkages, and local build outs - combined.

Local Connectors: Bridging valley and ridge topography and connecting mountainous regions with low plateaus in an east-west orientation. Four linkages were identified and mapped: 1) Big South Fork-Cumberland River; 2) Cumberland-Interior Low Plateau; 3) Ohio River; 4) Flint Creek-Plateau Escarpment

Regional Connectors: Regional-scale corridors that connect large cores. Three were identified and mapped: 1) Northern Cumberland-Blue Ridge (connects South Blue Ridge to Central Appalachian core to the north); 2) Southern Cumberland-Blue Ridge (connects Southern Blue Ridge to Central Appalachian Core to south); 3) Northern Sandstone Ridges (connect Central Appalachian-Allegheny Regional core to Delaware Water Gap-Catskills)

Local Cores: Areas that are locally significant due to irreplaceability and have high internal local connectivity. Eight areas were identified and mapped: 1) Cumberland Plateau-Chattanooga; 2) Daniel Boone; 3) Nashville Basin; 4) Hoosier-Interior Low Plateau; 5) Mammoth Cave-Campbellsville-Chickamauga; 6) Cumberland Gap-Big South Fork; 7) Southern Finger Lakes-Allegheny Plateau; 8) Lower Tennessee-Bankhead-Wheeler

Regional Cores: Broad areas of regional significance that have high internal landscape connectivity. Five cores were identified and mapped: 1) Shawnee-Peabody-Land between the Lakes; 2) Southern Blue Ride-Upper Tennessee River Basin; 3) Central Appalachian-Allegheny; 4) Heart's Content-Northwest Pennsylvania; 5) Delaware Water Gap-Catskills

Cave and Karst Data Access: The cave and karst dataset from this research is available through our Conservation Planning Atlas.

Other Important Areas: Smaller, isolated areas that are locally significant. They were identified in two primary ways: (1) buffers around existing protected areas suggesting that many conservation values around the protected area are not fully protected; and (2) small areas that had unique conservation value regionally but are under no current protection. Thirty-six of these areas were identified.

Core Corridor Image: For Interactive Conservation Planning and Design research project.

Maps & Data: Well-connected landscapes are necessary to sustain many of the natural and cultural resources important to the Appalachian region today and into the future. If these landscapes are to endure and be resilient to impending environmental changes, it will require a collaborative effort involving many organizations and reaching across jurisdictional and political boundaries. Conservation planning - a process of spatially identifying and prioritizing lands and waters important for functioning ecosystems and biodiversity - is well suited to address the many large-scale biodiversity challenges facing the region and lead to conservation outcomes that link pristine and natural lands into an interconnected landscape for plants, animals, and humans.

Technical Resources: The Appalachian LCC is dedicated to building capacity for using tools and other technical resources to aid in landscape conservation. By providing valuable training, the Appalachian LCC is working to integrate emerging science and decision support tools at multiple scales. This ensures resources are used in the most efficient manner possible to conserve landscapes capable of supporting self-sustaining populations of fish and wildlife.

Phase 2 Consultations: The Appalachian LCC enhanced our NatureScape Conservation Design through consultations with experts to refine elements of the initial products from the effort, as well as delve further into themes regarding aquatic integrity, biota, ecosystems, and representative databases of the region. Experts helped the LCC identify appropriate frameworks for assessing aquatic integrity, as well as conservation targets and threats to aquatic ecosystems.

NatureScape Map: Map shows integration of key aquatic connectivity areas with terrestrial significant habitats throughout the Appalachians to guide conservation planning and decision making.

NatureScape Map: Map shows integration of key aquatic connectivity areas with terrestrial significant habitats throughout the Appalachians to guide conservation planning and decision making.

CumberlandRiverBasin.org: The Cumberland River Compact and The Nature Conservancy of TN have launched two new resources to help partner's achieve their goals and connect basin professionals and residents with available resources.