North Carolina’s distinctive woodlands, farmlands, and open spaces are disappearing at a rapid rate, and development across the state shows no sign of letting up.

Those are the findings of a new report, “Losing Our Natural Heritage,” from Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center.

According to the report, between 1987 and 2007, North Carolina lost an estimated 2.37 million acres of cropland and forest land. Over the same time period, the state’s population has grown by 40 percent —remarkably fast, but not in comparison to the growth of developed acreage, which has increased 65 percent. “From the Smokies to the Outer Banks, and everything in between, our state’s natural beauty and rural character is quickly slipping away,” said Environment North Carolina Director Elizabeth Ouzts.

The state’s major metropolitan areas saw the most development, but major transformations also occurred in traditionally rural landscapes. The Triangle saw developed land more than double over the last 20 years. Development increased by more than 50 percent in the northeastern part of the state, and development overall in rural areas increased 54 percent.

If these trends—325 acres of open spaces lost each day—continue, the state can expect to lose another 1.9 million acres of woodland and cropland over the next twenty years. In light of the state’s fast-paced development, in 2000 North Carolina leaders set out a goal for preserving an additional1 million acres of forests, farmlands, wetlands, and other open spaces by the start of 2010. They designated the state’s existing land conservation programs to do the job. But even at full funding levels, these programs must turn down two-thirds of the worthy applications for land conservation projects that they receive.

The state’s conservation programs are not keeping pace with the state’s rapid development. Last year, lawmakers failed to allow voters to approve a $1 billion bond to help fulfill the million acre promise. This year, Environment North Carolina will continue to work to hold leaders to their promise. We’ll be pushing recommendations for funding the million acre promise from the state’s Land and Water Study Commission, expected this winter.

“Future generations deserve to enjoy the same natural beauty and quality of life that I did growing up in North Carolina,” said Ouzts. “We’re working to make sure our report’s estimates of rapid loss of precious forests and farmlands don’t come true.”