Land preservation is essential to protecting the natural habitats of many animals - from insects on the ground to the birds in our skies. Throughout most of the world, land preservation is accomplished through placing certain segments of land under a protected status. Protected land has limitations on how it can be developed, and these limitations can range from the land staying wilderness forever to being developed into mines or oil fields. In the United States of America, land preservation often takes the form of nature and forest preserves, which are regulated by local, state, and federal governments.

Over 10% of the world's protected land is located within the United States of America, and according to the Society for Conservation Biology, this protected land has prevented the extinction of over 48 different bird and mammal species in the U.S (https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12762). The survival of these threatened species depends on the continued existence and support of USA National Parks and nature preserves.