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The preservation and improvement of our open spaces - natural areas and farmland - provide important community space, habitat for plants and animals, recreational and tourism opportunities, and support local economies. Open space preservation supports smart growth goals by bolstering local economies, preserving critical environmental areas, improving our communities quality of life, and guiding new growth into existing communities.
Protection of open space also provides many fiscal benefits, including increasing local property value (thereby increasing property tax bases), providing tourism dollars, and decreases local tax increases (due to the savings of reducing the construction of new infrastructure). New Jersey's agricultural industry, including related businesses, contributes over $1.2 billion to the state's economy annually. At the local level, farmland has been shown to be a less costly alternative to residential growth. Requiring fewer services than residential development, farmland provides a fairly stable revenue stream without the additional financial strain to the community.
The availability of open space also provides significant environmental quality and health benefits. Management of the quality and supply of open space also ensures that prime farmlands are available, prevents flood damage, and provides a less expensive and natural alternative for providing clean drinking water. Open space protects animal and plant habitat, places of natural beauty, and working lands by removing the development pressure and redirecting new growth to existing communities. Additionally, preservation of open space benefits the environment by combating air pollution, attenuating noise, controlling wind, providing erosion control, and moderating temperatures. Open space also protects surface and ground water resources by filtering trash, debris, and chemical pollutants before they enter a water system.