The Georgia Land Conservation Program (GLCP) works to permanently protect land and water resources in the U.S. state of Georgia through public/private partnerships.
Georgia Land Conservation Program Website Created in 2005 by former List of Governors of Georgia, Governor

Sonny Perdue George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American politician, veterinarian, and businessman who served as the 31st United States secretary of agriculture from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), ...

through the Georgia Land Conservation Act, the GLCP provides grants, low-interest loans, and tax credits to achieve permanent land conservation through conservation

easement An easement is a Nonpossessory interest in land, nonpossessory right to use or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B" ...

s and

fee simple In English law, a fee simple or fee simple absolute is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. A "fee" is a vested, inheritable, present possessory interest in land. A "fee simple" is real property held without limit of time (i.e., pe ...

ownership.

Conservation objectives

Managed by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority,
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority Website the GLCP has 10 conservation objectives: *

Water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

protection *Flood prevention *

Wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

preservation
Georgia Governor's Office *

Erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

prevention *

Wildlife habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

maintenance *Preserving agriculture *Enhancing historic sites *Maintaining scenic views *Recreation provision *Connecting natural and recreational areas

The Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program

The GLCP also administers the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program. The tax credit allows landowners who donate fee-title lands or permanent conservation easements to apply for a credit against their state income taxes. Approved donors may earn credits equal to 25 percent of the fair market value of their donations, up to $250,000 for individual donors, and $500,000 for corporate and partnership donors.

The Land Conservation Council

The Land Conservation Council, which governs the GLCP, includes five state agency leaders and four gubernatorial appointments.

References

{{authority control Environment of Georgia (U.S. state) Conservation projects in the United States Land Conservation Program