Share
    Gaining Ground

    South Carolina

    1,296,044

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 981,852 football fields!

    Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

    Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

    Visitors to Land Trust Properties

    20,147

    Visitors in 2020, double that of 2015.

    Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

    67%

    Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

    Number of People Served

    112,240

    Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

    Miles of Trails

    90

    Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

    Miles With Universal Access

    49

    Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

    69%

    Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

    • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

    • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

    • People who identify as LGBTQ+

    • People living with disabilities

    • Veterans

    Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

    • Youth education and development

    • Community and economic development

    • Food security and agriculture

    • Health and wellness

    • Social and environmental justice

    Demographics

    Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

    South Carolina land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

    Active Land Trusts

    21

    A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

    Learn more about land trusts
    Alliance Member Land Trusts

    17

    Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

    Learn about the land trust alliance
    Accredited Land Trusts

    14

    Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 7,107

    • 552

    • 60

    • 18

    • 255

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 53 years old (1971)

    • 22 years old (2002)

    • 32 years old

    State Association
    South Carolina Land Trust Network
    View website
    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

    62%

    Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

    38%

    Sources of Funding to Address Climate Change

    • NFWF Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund

    • North American Wetlands Conservation Act

    Land Protected

    There has been a 75% increase in South Carolina land protected by land trusts since 2010.

    Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve South Carolina lands, waters and ways of life.

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    740,742
    938,853
    1,296,044
    +75%
    Under easement
    375,601
    538,157
    844,925
    +125%
    Owned
    146,144
    194,872
    207,558
    +42%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    186,746
    194,493
    185,451
    0%
    Protected by other means
    32,252
    40,281
    58,110
    +80%

    Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

    Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

    92%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $689 million

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    60,800

    Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

    This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

    Making a Difference

    South Carolina land trusts are gaining ground.

    Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of South Carolina's most pressing issues.

    • Tackling climate change: The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina established the Winyah-Sewee Conservation and Resiliency Planning project, which encompasses approximately 1 million acres of freshwater and tidal wetlands, cypress-tupelo swamps, floodplain forests, pitcher plant bogs, multiple barrier islands and longleaf pine forests. This is the site of the third-largest estuarine drainage area along the U.S. Atlantic coast.

      Read more

    • Protecting land for future generations: The accredited Congaree Land Trust in Columbia, South Carolina, which, with grant funding from the Lynches River Conservation Board, donated more than 350 acres of land to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism to preserve and expand the footprint of Lee State Park.

      Read more

    • Protecting water quality: The accredited Lowcountry Land Trust is committed to conserving healthy marshes, supporting the growth of new marshes and promoting dryland green spaces. They understand that the health of wetlands is a crucial component to managing flood levels, mitigating storm damage, and supporting marine ecosystems.

      Read more

    Land Trusts Working in South Carolina

    Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

    Access Fund
    Access Fund
    Boulder, CO
    6 acres protected in SC
    Aiken Land Conservancy
    Aiken Land Conservancy
    Aiken, SC
    3,257 acres protected in SC
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    Beaufort County Open Land Trust
    Beaufort County Open Land Trust
    Beaufort, SC
    25,568 acres protected in SC
    Central Savannah River Land Trust
    Central Savannah River Land Trust
    Augusta, GA
    1,402 acres protected in SC
    Congaree Land Trust
    Congaree Land Trust
    Columbia, SC
    91,504 acres protected in SC
    Conserving Carolina
    Conserving Carolina
    Hendersonville, NC
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Memphis, TN
    138,929 acres protected in SC
    Edisto Island Open Land Trust
    Edisto Island Open Land Trust
    Edisto Island, SC
    4,230 acres protected in SC
    Georgia-Alabama Land Trust
    Georgia-Alabama Land Trust
    Piedmont, AL
    1,592 acres protected in SC
    Katawba Valley Land Trust
    Katawba Valley Land Trust
    Lancaster, SC
    11,752 acres protected in SC
    Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy
    Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy
    Kiawah Island, SC
    2,273 acres protected in SC
    Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust
    Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust
    Moncks Corner, SC
    51,500 acres protected in SC
    Lowcountry Land Trust
    Lowcountry Land Trust
    Charleston, SC
    158,504 acres protected in SC
    Nation Ford Land Trust
    Nation Ford Land Trust
    Fort Mill, SC
    17,026 acres protected in SC
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    Naturaland Trust
    Naturaland Trust
    Greenville, SC
    13,600 acres protected in SC
    Open Space Institute Land Trust
    Open Space Institute Land Trust
    New York, NY
    27,314 acres protected in SC
    Pee Dee Land Trust
    Pee Dee Land Trust
    Florence, SC
    47,510 acres protected in SC
    Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy
    Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy
    Johns Island, SC
    Spartanburg Area Conservancy
    Spartanburg Area Conservancy
    Spartanburg, SC
    5,156 acres protected in SC
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    163,946 acres protected in SC
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    425,809 acres protected in SC
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    26,255 acres protected in SC
    Unique Places To Save
    Unique Places To Save
    Chapel Hill, NC
    1,753 acres protected in SC
    Upper Savannah Land Trust
    Upper Savannah Land Trust
    Greenwood, SC
    51,692 acres protected in SC
    Upstate Forever
    Upstate Forever
    Greenville, SC
    34,542 acres protected in SC