Habitat Conservation and the Land and Water Conservation Fund

The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCF) is a visionary law enacted by Congress in 1964 through bipartisan recognition of the importance of safeguarding special places and providing outdoor recreation opportunities.

Chances are the average American has never heard of LWCF. But most Americans are probably more familiar with its benefits than they realize. The LWCF has been a vital source of funding for creating and protecting parks, playgrounds, open space, wetlands, and wildlife habitat, increasing the quality of life of every American.



In a 1962 letter to Congress by President John Kennedy supporting the passage of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the President stated:

"Actions deferred are all too often opportunities lost, particularly in safeguarding our natural resources. I urge the enactment of this proposal at the earliest possible date so that a further significant step may be taken to assure the availability and accessibility of land and water-based recreation opportunities for all Americans."

Forty years later, these words are more true than ever. Although authorized at $900 million from revenues generated from federal offshore oil royalties, the LWCF has only been fully funded once. More than $16 billion remains in the Fund on paper as an unspent balance, but has been diverted to the federal treasury. Yet the pace of development and the conversion of open space to houses and asphalt have accelerated, at the same time that LWCF has dwindled.

A recent report by the U.S. Forest Service, “Cooperating Across Boundaries – Partnerships to Conserve Open Space in rural America” estimates that 6,000 acres of open space are lost to development each day, 4 acres each minute -- once these lands are lost, they can never be recovered. 

Despite the overwhelming need, the president’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2009 cuts LWCF by nearly $104 million to only $50 million, more than 67 percent below 2008 and 94 percent below the authorized level. Without major increases in LWCF funding in the next decade, there will be scant open space and wildlife habitat left to save in the future.

Highest Priority Needs for Wildlife Conservation

In a race to save species habitat before it is lost, Defenders of Wildlife evaluates hundreds of National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management land acquisition projects to determine some of the highest priority needs for wildlife conservation. In addition to the importance these projects have for wildlife, they demonstrate the enormous need of the federal land management agencies to protect our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and other conservation lands. The projects we highlight are literally the tip of the iceberg, many more projects need to be completed before it is too late. Read our latest reports.

LWCF 2008 CoverThe Land and Water Conservation Fund 2008 Report

Read Defenders of Wildlife's 2008 Land and Water Conservation Fund report which evaluates projects to determine the highest priority needs for wildlife conservation.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund 2007 Report

Read Defenders of Wildlife's 2007 Land and Water Conservation Fund report.