Natural Areas Association (NAA) is an association of scientists and practitioners focused on the management of ecologically significant natural landscapes with the intent to protect biodiversity for current and future generations. Natural Areas News is your trusted resource for current events, reliable science, conservation success, emerging challenges, best practices, and achievements of those who work daily to preserve natural areas.

Natural Areas Association (NAA) released its 2024 Annual Report, which highlights a year dedicated to supporting the efforts of land stewards—the unsung heroes who safeguard our ecologically significant landscapes. This report highlights the engaging and informative resources that united practitioners to exchange knowledge and best practices, further advancing the protection of biodiversity for future generations.

Photo courtesy of the City of Fort Collins

The Fort Collins Natural Areas Department is looking ahead to the next 10-20 years of conservation with a visionary guidance document called the Natural Areas Strategic Framework. The Strategic Framework is an update to the 2014 Natural Areas Master Plan with an updated approach to challenges and opportunities, including feedback from more than 5,000 community touchpoints.

Little-understood and vastly underappreciated, insects play a large role in supporting life on earth. Scientists have found that many populations are in decline, but they’ve struggled to understand the scale of what’s happening. Now, a groundbreaking new study offers the most comprehensive answers about the status of butterflies in the contiguous United States. Researchers found that 22 percent of butterfly populations have been lost.

A bill that would remove protections from an estimated 80% of Tennessee’s wetlands advanced through a Senate committee over the objections of several scientists and environmental advocates. The bill is the second attempt by sponsors Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. Kevin Vaughan, both West Tennessee Republicans, to roll back what they say are overly onerous mitigation requirements.