10 Million Acres: Charting a Course for South Carolina’s Conservation Future
With rapid growth and development reshaping our landscape, the need to protect our precious land and water resources has never been more urgent. Governor McMaster and a coalition of state agencies and conservation organizations are choosing to see this threat as an unprecedented opportunity. Together, we have a bold vision to protect an additional 7 million acres of land and water across the state, adding to our existing protected areas and bringing the total to a remarkable 10 million acres.
Governor McMaster has tasked the SC Department of Natural Resources, the SC Office of Resilience, the SC Conservation Bank, the SC Forestry Commission, and other key conservation partners with developing a comprehensive, multi-year action plan to turn this vision into reality. With the Governor’s clear commitment and growing political momentum, this is a decisive moment to elevate land protection as a central, proactive solution to South Carolina’s most urgent challenges: unchecked growth and sprawl, declining water quality, increasing flood risks, and the critical need for rural economic resilience. The upcoming 2026 legislative session presents a particularly crucial window to solidify this legacy before the close of Governor McMaster’s term later next year. Reaching this bold goal of 10 million acres will require state and local policy solutions, funding, and collective action.
Fortunately, land protection enjoys consistent popularity among both lawmakers and voters, spanning the political spectrum. Legislators have consistently allocated funds for state conservation in the budget, and voters have overwhelmingly approved conservation funding referenda in counties like Jasper, Beaufort, Dorchester, and Berkeley. Furthermore, recent polls, including a 2025 survey by SustainSC and The Nature Conservancy, consistently show that South Carolinians are deeply concerned about critical issues such as water quality, traffic congestion, flooding, and unchecked development. This support is a necessary precursor for the protection of 10 million acres in South Carolina, but we’ll need to ramp up efforts and champion innovative solutions in order to reach our goal.
Recently, interest in combating rapid growth and sprawl has emerged within the General Assembly, largely due to CVSC’s SC Prosper & Preserve initiative. Land protection efforts, especially when combined with sustainable growth tools, offer direct and impactful solutions to each of these challenges. Leaders and voters across South Carolina are calling for these mindful, sustainable planning tools, realizing that to truly address the challenges of rapid growth, we must also strategically reform how and where development occurs. This necessitates robust support for sustainable growth tools and policies, including Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements (CIR), which are a part of SC Prosper & Preserve.
The 10 Million Acres initiative is more than a target; it’s a commitment to preserving the natural beauty, economic vitality, and quality of life that make South Carolina so special. With leadership from both the Gubernatorial and legislative branches championing land conservation, we can build momentum among the public and state and local leaders, making conservation a top priority for years to come.
By working together, we can ensure that future generations inherit a state where vibrant natural spaces, clean water, and thriving communities are not just ideals but a tangible reality. We’ll need your help to tell local, state, and community leaders that you support the goal of 10 million acres of protected land in South Carolina, and that sustainable growth will be an instrumental part of reaching that goal. We hope you’ll stay tuned for upcoming advocacy opportunities from CVSC as we work toward this ambitious goal.