By identifying and describing natural resources in a local setting, a natural resources inventory (NRI) provides communities with a strong foundation for proactive planning and informed decision-making.
The NRI process encourages participation in identifying and prioritizing natural resources important to the community and provides information that will support careful land use planning, voluntary land conservation and improved resource protection measures.
Incorporating natural resources into every level of decision-making and planning helps communities to preserve their natural heritage and ensure that healthy, resilient ecosystems and the benefits they provide are available for future generations.
The NRI provides the basic building blocks for comprehensive land use and conservation planning and allows natural resources information to be included in local planning and zoning.
RSA 36-A:2 (Conservation Commissions) indicates that the Conservation Commission shall conduct researches into its local land and water area and keep an index of all open space and natural, aesthetic or ecological areas, including marshlands, swamps and all other wet lands.
