





Greenprints have a wide range of benefits. Fundamentally, a greenprint can create more opportunities for protection of open space and working lands by linking them to a community’s economic and social values. Conservation investments can help a community improve water quality, provide healthy recreational opportunities, preserve the agricultural economy, and protect the heritage and character of a region.

Greenprints also enable decision-makers to prioritize areas that maximize benefits or minimize conflicts. This can help leverage funding and build a broader base of political support for conservation. For example, if an area is important for groundwater recharge and is located near a city’s greenbelt, it may be eligible for funding to protect the water supply while also providing recreational opportunities.

At a minimum, a greenprint that includes multiple values allows interested stakeholders to understand and communicate about providing a range of benefits. For example, an organization focused on agricultural land may want to promote the habitat value of certain crops to increase the support for protecting farmland. Similarly, the greenprint process allows local officials to develop a coordinated strategy for channeling development to the most appropriate locations to avoid conflicts while protecting important natural resources.

Greenprints are an effective and actionable way to connect the contributions of natural and agricultural values to the ecosystem, the economy, and local communities to benefit people and nature.

