In the 1800s, there was a very sparse human population on the more than 26 million acres of land which make up Tennessee. In 1990 there were almost 5 million people living on the same 26 million acres. Each year, more people place ever-increasing demands on this land base.

We all want outdoor recreational opportunities, agricultural and forest products, suburban homes, larger shopping centers and good highways. If we are to enjoy the bounty of Tennessee's land resources, we must join forces in an effort to manage our land base in a manner that will protect the many values and products of the land.

Forest Ecosystems

Despite a 7.4 percent increase in forest acreage since 1950, the ecological health of the state's forest ecosystem is declining. Increases in forest acreage are largely due to fallow farmland reverting to upland forest. Meanwhile, critical bottomland forest habitats have declined nearly 26 percent. Only 9 percent of the original forested wetlands of the Mississippi River remain. In East Tennessee, an ecological crisis is occurring as the globally rare spruce/fir forest is being destroyed by imported exotic pests.

Over the years, the nature and structure of our forests have changed dramatically. Large forest tracts are becoming fragmented, resulting in the loss of deep woods habitat, which is critical for some wildlife. The table on this page illustrates the decline of the bottomland hardwood forest and the spruce/fir forest in Tennessee.

What is being done to stop this downward trend? Fortunately, there are several good programs designed to manage public lands and natural areas such as state forests, state parks, wildlife refuges and wildlife management areas. There are approximately 1.88 million acres of land managed by the federal government and more than 600,000 acres managed by the state. Private land management

agencies, such as The Nature Conservancy, the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, have played a significant role in the acquisition and management of some of the state's most valuable, threatened lands.

Tennessee's Ecoregions

Our natural heritage is directly related to the geological processes that form the state's ecoregions. Each region is distinctive and supports specific natural plant and animal communities and, because of human development, each is in need of protection. To ensure the conservation of Tennessee's vast biological diversity, it is important that we conserve an appropriate representation of each ecoregion.

State Parks and Natural Areas

Many of Tennessee's most scenic and ecologically significant areas are protected through our state parks system. There are 50 actively managed state parks and 33 satellite areas under the protection of nearby state parks. These parks serve to preserve and protect unique examples of natural, cultural and scenic areas and to provide quality outdoor experiences for our citizens. In addition to the natural resource parks, some parks are of great archaeological and historical significance to the state. More than 28 million visitors each year enjoy the experiences offered by these parks.

Almost 68,000 acres of land are protected in the state's 38 State Natural Areas. Efforts are now under way to add several new natural areas to the system. Natural areas protect populations of rare plant or animal species as well as their habitats. There are also 46 registered State Natural Areas, which are nonbinding cooperative management agreements, mostly with private landowners, that protect ecologically significant lands.

Land Acquisitions

Lands identified for conservation and protection may be acquired through the Wetlands Acquisition Fund administered by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) or through the State Lands Acquisition Fund administered through TDEC. In many cases, however, land can remain in private ownership and be managed through cooperative agreements in a way that is mutually beneficial to conservation and the land-owner's needs. There are also numerous financial incentives to private landowners to manage their lands for conservation.

Many initiatives are aimed at identifying and conserving the state's vast biological diversity. For example, TDEC collects and disseminates information about rare animals, plants and their natural habitats, as well as conducts field studies to iden-tify areas with critical conservation needs. The Tennessee Wetlands Conservation Strategy, signed by the Governor in 1994, lays out a framework for conserving our state's wetlands.

Other projects include the Biodiversity Project, which focuses on identification of lands for conservation, and the Tennessee Rivers Assessment Project, which focuses on river conservation. All have public/private involvement and recognize the importance of cooperation and education to conservation. The development of a Statewide Conservation Strategy will be of great importance in coordinating Tennessee's many conservation initiatives and agencies toward a common goal. This will be one of our important challenges in the future.