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Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21St Century Mark A. Benedict and Edward T. McMahon Introduction "Green infrastructure" is a term be- coming more commonly used among natural resource professionals. While it means different things to different people, depending on the context in which it is used, for the purposes of this article, green infrastructure is an interconnected network of green space that conserves natural ecosystem val- ues and functions attd provides ossoci- ated benefits to human populations. Green infrastructure is the ecological Mark A. Benedict is director of the Conservation Leadership Network, TTte Conservation Fund. Edward T. McMahon is vice president and director of Land Use Programs, The Conservation Fund. This article is based on a monograph published ire February 2002 by the Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse. Copies of the monograph can be obtained by contacting the Sprawl Watch Clearing- house (1400 L6'" Street NW, Washing- ton, D.C., 20035. 202-332-7000) or by downloading the PDF file from the Clearinghouse's website (wwwsprawl warch.org). The authors thank the Surdna Foundation, Tucker Fomtda- tion, Jackson Hole Preserve, /nc., Vir- ginia Environmental Endowment, and USDA Forest Service that have sup- ported The Conservation Fund's green infrastructure program. framework needed for environmental, social and economic sustainability- our nation's nantral life support sys- tem. Planning utilizing green infra- structure differs from conventional open space planning because it looks at conservation values in concert with land development, growth management and built infrastructure planning. This article introduces green infra- structure as a strategic approach [o land conservation that addresses the eco- logical and sociat impacts of sprawl and the acceterated consumption and fragmentation of open land. I[ describes the concept and value of green infra- structure and presents seven principles for successful green infrastructure ini- tiatives. What Is Green Infrastructure? Webster's New World Dictionary defines infrastructure as "the substruc- ture or underlying foundation, espe- cially the basic installations and facili- ties on which the continuance and growth of a community depends." Most people think of infrastructure as roads, sewers and utility lines-gray infra- structurer or as hospitals, schools and prisons-social infrastructure. Taken together, these are often referred to as built infrastructure. Today, many people and organizations are talking about another type of infrastructure critical to the continuance and growth of a community-green infrastructure. In 1999, The Conservation Fund and the USDA Forest Service formed a working group of government agencies and non-governmental organizations to develop a program that would help make green infrastructure an integral part of local, regional and state plans and policies. This Green Infrastructure Work Group developed the following definition for green infrastructure: "Green infrastructure is our nation's natural life support system-an inter- connected network of waterways, wet- lands, woodlands, wildlife habitats and other natural areas; greenways, parks and other conservation ]ands; working farms, ranches and forests; and wilder- ness and other open spaces that sup- port native species, maintain natural ecoiogica] processes, sustain air and water resources and contribute [o [he health and quality oflife forAmerica's communities and people." Green infrastructure's components include a variety of natural and restored ecosystems and landscape features that make up a system of "hubs" and "links." Hubs anchor green infrastruc- ture networks, providing origins and destinations for the wildlife and eco- logical processes moving to or through them. Links are the connections tying the system together and enabling green infrastucture networks to work. Hubs and links range in size, function and ownership. In order to be successful, these elements need long-term protec- tion through long-range planning and AUTUMN 2002 RENEWABLE RESOURCES JOURNAL 12