Loss of Public Land in Missouri

Missouri is confronted with severe losses in public land. Much of this is due to changes in the state's demography which began in the early 1980s. Missouri's efforts to curtail these events deal not only with land, but animal life.

Public Land

• Public land in Missouri can have three forms of ownership: federal, state or locally possessed. According to the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, this constitutes over 80 individual parks and 140,000 acres of space.

Losses

• One of the most important developments connected to the loss of public land is population growth. Since 1982, Missouri has recorded a 5 percent rise in residency, leading to reductions in space. Missouri claims to have lost nearly 90 percent of its natural wetlands and a staggering 99.5 percent of its original tall-grass prairie.

Significance

• These losses affect not only the land, but the animal and plant species which reside there. As of 2010, 30 species in Missouri are characterized as endangered. The state has launched initiatives toward educating the population about this environmental crisis, and possible solutions to reverse these disturbing trends.