Protected Lands

Charleston County has extensive protected land in the northeast with the Francis Marion National Forest and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, and in the southwest with the ACE Basin.

Base map source: The Nature Conservancy

Almost 44% of all land in the County, which excludes open waters and salt marsh, is protected. That's a total of 200,396 acres out of 458,028 acres. The Greenbelt Program has protected 26,169 acres of both public and private land.

Source: The Nature Conservancy

The largest potion of protected land is under private ownership, almost 82,000 acres.

Source: The Nature Conservancy

Charleston County Greenbelt Program

Charleston County established its Greenbelt Program following passage of the County’s first ½ cent sales tax in 2004. In just over two decades, this program has proven to be one of the most effective land conservation initiatives in the country. It has protected more than 26,000 acres of land, including properties with exceptional ecological, historic and recreational value.

These conserved lands support rural livelihoods , provide public water access, conserve ecologically and culturally sensitive areas, and provide essential flood mitigation and water purification functions.

In addition, the Greenbelt Program has removed the potential for sprawling development in the rural parts of the county, thereby lessening increases in traffic congestion and reducing the need to spend tax dollars on new and expanded roads.

The success and efficiency of the Charleston Greenbelt Program stems from its reliance on local , regional and national land trusts working in the county to identify and negotiate land conservation deals with landowners. These proposals are then competitively ranked by the County Greenbelt Advisory Board and submitted to the County Council for funding. As a result, the program has achieved the most important conservation outcomes at the lowest cost to the taxpayer.

Urban lands have cost the Greenbelt Program more than 15x per acre to protect than rural lands. In addition to being more economical, the protection of rural land reduces sprawl, which reduces the need for costly infrastructure improvements, such as roads, in these areas.

Source: Charleston County Greenbelt Program

Fee simple purchases have cost the Greenbelt Program almost 9x more per acre than conservation easements. Easements are a very cost effective tool for protecting land.

Source: Charleston County Greenbelt Program

Protected Land in Charleston County

Charleston County Greenbelt Program