Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan

A New Plan for a Healthy Long Island Sound!

We’re revising the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for 2025-2035. Learn about the process and how you can get involved at LISstudy.net/PLAN.

Overview

In 20 years of implementing the 1994 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound, federal, state, and local partners have worked together to reduce by 40 million pounds the annual discharge of nitrogen, restore nearly 1,625 acres of habitat, reopen 317 miles of fish passage, and involve hundreds of thousands of people in education and volunteer projects to help bring Long Island Sound back to health and abundance.

Now these partners, under the Long Island Sound Study, developed a revised  Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan in 2015 to move forward to achieve more ambitious ecosystem targets through 2035.


Themes and Goals of the CCMP

To fulfill the vision of a restored and protected Long Island Sound, the partner agencies of the Long Island Sound Study, in 2015, revised its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The plan includes specific, tactical actions (Implementation Actions) to measurably carry out the plan in five year periods. The first Implementation Action period was for 2015–2019. In 2020, the plan was updated to include Implementation Actions for the 2020-2024 period. The Plan seeks to achieve  four primary goals under four themes:

Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds

Improve water quality by reducing contaminant and nutrient loads from the land and the waters impacting Long Island Sound. Learn more about waters and watersheds »

Thriving Habitats and Abundant wildlife

Restore and protect the Sound’s ecological balance in a healthy, productive, and resilient state to benefit both people and the natural environment. Learn more about habitats and wildlife »

Sustainable and Resilient Communities

Support vibrant, informed, and engaged communities that use, appreciate, and help protect Long Island Sound. Learn more about communities »

Sound Science and Inclusive Management

Manage Long Island Sound using sound science and cross-jurisdictional governance that is inclusive, adaptive, innovative, and accountable. Learn more about science and management »

Explore Long Island Sound Ecosystem Targets

The following ambitious, but achievable, ecosystem targets have been developed to drive progress toward attaining the goals of the management plan’s themes Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds, Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife, and Sustainable and Resilient Communities.

Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds

Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife

Sustainable and Resilient Communities

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