                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CONSERVEVIRGINIA PROGRAM ESTABLISHED (§ 10.1-104.6:1)

A. The Department shall develop a program for the creation, maintenance,
operation, and regular updating of a data-driven Geographical Information
Systems model to prioritize potential conservation areas across the Commonwealth
that would provide quantifiable benefits to the citizens of Virginia. Such
program shall be known as ConserveVirginia. The model shall synthesize multiple
mapped data inputs, divided into categories, each representing a different
overarching conservation value, including (i) agriculture and forestry, (ii)
natural habitat and ecosystem diversity, (iii) floodplains and flooding
resilience, (iv) cultural and historic preservation, (v) scenic preservation,
(vi) protected landscapes resilience, and (vii) water quality improvement.

B. The Department shall consult regularly with the Chief Resilience Officer of
the Commonwealth, the Department of Forestry, the Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, the Department of Historic Resources, the Department of
Wildlife Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Marine
Resources Commission, and any other state or federal agency or private
organization deemed appropriate to provide data or information to update
methodologies, map layers, and emerging conservation priorities.

C. The Department shall review and revise the methodology used to develop and
prioritize each conservation value identified in subsection A. The Department
shall conduct such review and revision process no less than once every two
years, and such process shall include public hearings and solicitation of public
comment. The Department shall continue to develop ways to incorporate and
encourage environmental justice, as defined in &#xA7; 2.2-234, into all existing
and future conservation values. The Department shall not utilize any methodology
or conservation value to limit a landowner&#8217;s decision on implementing any
aspect of an approved forest management plan or any appropriate best management
practice to achieve water quality improvements.

D. The Department shall provide access to the ConserveVirginia model to the
public and all state and federal agencies that benefit by using ConserveVirginia
to determine conservation priorities.

E. The Department shall incorporate ConserveVirginia into acquisition or grant
decisions when appropriate.

F. The Department shall utilize information provided by the Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Department of Forestry when creating
the Agriculture and Forestry map layers of ConserveVirginia. Such information
shall include, as appropriate, new data sources that better reflect the economic
viability of working farms and forests. The Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services and the Department of Forestry shall engage agriculture and
forestry stakeholders to improve and refine the ConserveVirginia model to
accurately reflect the conservation value of agricultural and forestal land in
the Commonwealth. Such information shall inform whether the ConserveVirginia
conservation values related to agriculture and forestry have been achieved.

HISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 99; 2024, c. 753.