The federal government is still figuring out how to determine which areas are “protected” enough to count toward conserving 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030 to combat climate change and biodiversity loss. One of the tools they’re using is data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Gap Analysis Project (GAP) analyzing “gaps” in biodiversity protection.
GAP 1, 2 & 3 areas all have permanent protections from conversion, but GAP 3 areas allow multiple uses including logging and mining.