Cooperation and Creativity at the Heart of the Pinelands

Paramecium Pond, New Jersey Pinelands. Courtesy of John F. Bunnell

New Jersey is home to one of the most successful models of regional, conservation-based planning in the world: the Pinelands National Region. Located in southern New Jersey, the Region was established through the passage of federal and state legislation in the late 1970s.

The 1.1-million-acre region is managed through a collaborative effort among state, federal and local government entities. The partnership to protect the Pinelands and its world-enowned ecosystem mirrors the goals and objectives of the international Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB), which is why the MAB Program recognized the Pinelands as an International Biosphere Region in 1983, and subsequently accepted the Periodic Review update of the Pineland’s status and goals in 2017.

The Pinelands Biosphere Region occupies 22% of New Jersey's land area, and it encompasses unique and often rare ecosystems as well as businesses, agriculture and people. Nearly 500,000 people live in the Pinelands, and the region provides refuge for 135 rare plant and animal species. The area is also rich in cultural and historic resources.

The New Jersey Pinelands Commission is the primary agency that oversees land use in the Pinelands Biosphere Region. The Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, or CMP, contains land-use and environmental regulations that are designed to balance economic needs with the mission of preserving and protecting the region's many resources.

Education and public participation are important elements of the Commission's work. The recently completed installation of a Pinelands Exhibit at its headquarters and establishing a Pine Barrens Byway are great examples. All Commission Board meetings are public, and the public is always encouraged to provide feedback on ways to better manage the Pinelands and its resources.

The work to maintain this special part of New Jersey has been very successful, especially given the region’s location in the country’s most densely populated state. Through government and public efforts, more than half of the land in the Pinelands (or 477,000 acres) has been permanently protected. In addition to the existing regulatory framework, the Commission is engaged in numerous new initiatives aimed at better protecting the Pinelands, including efforts to review and respond to the potential effects of climate change.

Through cooperation and creativity, the New Jersey Pinelands Biosphere Region will continue to serve as a remarkable national and international model for balancing development and conservation for the benefit of current and future generations.

Learn more.

Nancy Wittenberg, Executive Director, New Jersey Pinelands Commission
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