MID-ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN PHYSIOGRAPHIC AREA

The mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain was the site of the first successful European settlement in North America. The natural landscape has been altered by European culture for nearly four centuries. Currently, the urban crescent from Baltimore south to Richmond and east to Norfolk is one of the fastest growing regions in North America. The living space and infrastructure required by the expanding human population has had a pervasive impact on the natural landscape, resulting in a direct change in the availability and distribution of habitats. Managing human population growth while maintaining functional natural ecosystems is the greatest conservation challenge faced by land managers within the mid-Atlantic region.

Despite the important conservation issues within the region and the fact that the dominant force (expanding human population) contributing to concerns will continue to operate, the potential for successful conservation of priority bird populations remains optimistic. This optimism stems from 1) the fact that a large number of lands critical to priority bird populations are currently protected or held by PIF partners, and 2) many priority species remain relatively abundant and widespread within the region.