In 1978 and 1979 Congress and the State of New Jersey passed legislation to protect the Pinelands and its unique natural and cultural resources. The Pinelands is now our country's first National Reserve encompassing about 1.1 million acres. The Reserve, which is neither federally owned nor directly administered by the National Park Service, receives federal assistance and oversight and is described as an affiliated area of the National Park System. As such, it differs from a traditional national park in that its primary goal is to protect and preserve the areas natural and cultural resources through state and local management as an alternative to direct, large-scale federal acquisition and administration.

In 1983, the Pinelands was designated a Biosphere Reserve by the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This designation means, simply, that the Pinelands is an example of the world's major ecosystem types. It's really quite a place, and it's right here in New Jersey!

Today, the Pinelands is protected and its future development guided by the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan. Through state and local implementation of the federally approved land use management plan, development is limited in areas designated for preservation, forest and agriculture, while growth is directed and encouraged in and around already developed areas. The plan is administered by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission in cooperation with units of local, state and federal governments.
 
 

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