Complete with waterfalls, steep bluffs, dense forests, and sandstone outcroppings, the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee is a breathtaking example of the unique ecological value found in the overall Southern Appalachian Mountain chain.

Extending over 400 miles from the western edge of the Southern Appalachians, the Cumberland Plateau represents one of the largest, temperate hardwood plateau systems in the world and is home to the highest concentration of endangered species on the continent.

This rare compliment of wildlife and wild spaces is under attack. Unsustainable development and human use threaten the beauty and viability of this special place. Vast stretches of forests are diminishing at alarming rates due to urban growth, rural development, unsustainable forestry practices, mining and agriculture. However, the most immediate and dangerous threat to the Plateau is the massive divestment of land.

The Northern Cumberlands project area in Tennessee and Kentucky encompasses about 2.5 million acres. The Nature Conservancy currently owns more than 5,500 acres of the project area.

Large, unprotected private landholdings are of note within the Northern Cumberlands, many of which are interspersed within a vast network of public lands.

The most recent addition to this list is the Sundquist State Wildlife Management Area, a 75,000-acre property protected by The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The acquisition of this property has successfully linked over 200,000 acres of wilderness into one publicly protected holding. This is now the 2nd largest public landholding in the state of Tennessee.

In early 2007, the Conservancy launched a project with the state of Tennessee to protect 124,000 acres in the Northern Cumberlands.

This would create a corridor of protected lands linking Frozen Head State Park, the Sundquist WMA, and the Royal Blue WMA, preserving forests and habitat for wildlife ranging from songbirds to elk and for the enjoyment of the public.

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Read about these critical conservation initiatives:

• Michigan's Ives Road Fen Preserve
• Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership
• Tennessee's Northern Cumberlands Plateau
• China's Pudacuo National Park

Cave opening, Southern Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, United States. Photo © Stephen Alvarez.