The Atlantic Conservation Coalition is a partnership of state agencies and non-profit organizations working together to protect and restore vital coastal habitats, peatlands, and forests across the eastern United States. A total of 24 projects throughout the region are funded through September 2029. The Atlantic Conservation Coalition is funded by a $421 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) from the EPA and includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and The Nature Conservancy – all committed to advancing nature-based solutions.
Catalyzing Benefits:
- Sequestering 27,707,228 of carbon (MTCO2E) by 2050, which equals 6.6 M cars removed from the road for 1 year
- Protecting communities against flooding, extreme heat, coastal storms, sea level rise, drought, and wildfires
- Protecting air and water quality
- Growing economies through generating jobs
- Supporting the sustainability of gamelands, agriculture, fisheries, and recreation
- Expanding and enhancing outdoor recreation and public access to green space
Creating Partnerships:
Strengthening communities and creating solutions together is at the center of nature-based solutions. The ACC and partners work with farmers, fishers, landowners, tribes, local governments, conservation groups and others.
Protecting Natural and Working Lands:
Over the course of the project period, the ACC is working to produce the following key conservation and restoration results:
- Improved forest management: 93,000 acres
- Reforestation and tree planting: 56,000 acres
- Peatland restoration and conservation: 33,000 acres
- Additional conservation and restoration: 25,000 acres
- Tidal wetland restoration: 12,000 acres
Advancing Innovation:
The ACC is designed to leverage CPRG funding to attract more investment in nature-based solutions and scale programs and policies, carrying the benefits well beyond the grant's end.
ACC Accomplishments as of June 2026:
Conservation Land Acquisition
acres of North Carolina pocosin
acres of Maryland forest
acres of South Carolina floodplain forest
Community Engagement & Robust Landowner Outreach
engagement activities
individuals reached
Project Implementation
acres
The ACC is committed to preserving 95,526 acres across 29 sites from South Carolina to Maryland.
acres
The ACC has planning, design and approval for 5,724 acres across 13 sites.
acres
The ACC has implemented conservation plans across 18,959 acres in 17 sites.
acres
The ACC has completed and is monitoring conservation across 53 acres in 2 sites.
Explore the ACC Dashboard.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 3D25824 to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the Environmental Protection Agency endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document, as well as any images, video, text, or other content created by generative artificial intelligence tools, nor does any such content necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency EPA.