National Landscape Conservation System

NLCS Fact Sheet

  • The NLCS Mission is to conserve, protect and restore nationally significant landscapes recognized for their cultural, ecological and scientific values for the American public
  • The NLCS was established in 2000 by Interior Secretary Babbitt
  • The System contains more than 886 federally recognized units
  • It encompasses approximately 27 million acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Managements
  • The NLCS has five categories of federally designated areas:
    • National Monuments, National Conservation Area (NCAs) and similar designations 
       ‘Similar designations’ includes Cooperative Management and Protection Areas, Outstanding Natural Areas, and Forest Reserves
       
    • Wilderness
      This category includes Designated Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas
    • Wild and Scenic Rivers
    • National Trails
      This category includes National Scenic and Historic Trails 
      Conservation Lands of the California Desert

 

California Costal National Monument

Delta Wild and Scenic River, Alaska

NLCS Summary Tables 
(All data as of December 2010)

The NLCS at a Glance
Category*
Areas
Number
BLM Acres
BLM Miles
Monuments and National Conservation Areas
National Monuments
16
4,820,039
 
National Conservation Areas
16
3,689,080
Similar Designations
5

435,926

 

 

Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
221
8,736,691
Wilderness Study Areas
545
12,835,035
Wild and Scenic Rivers
67
1,165,249
2,426
Trails
National Historic Trails
11
 
5,343
National Scenic Trails
5
668
Totals
886
Approximately  27 million(some units overlap)**
8,473
 

 *The BLM is evaluating how to incorporate the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) in the NLCS in terms of management. The BLM-administered portion of the CDCA (including wilderness areas) totals 10,772,600 acres and includes some multiple use areas not traditionally incorporated in the NLCS.

**Some NLCS units overlap. Because of these overlaps, it is not possible to arrive at an acreage total for all NLCS units simply by adding the acreage total for each category listed above (e.g., Monuments and National Conservation Areas, Wilderness, etc.)