ACECs are authorized in Section 202 (c)(3) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, P.L. 94-579). ACECs include public lands where special management attention and direction is needed to protect and prevent irreparable damage to important historic, cultural, and scenic values, fish, or wildlife resources or other natural systems or processes; or to protect human life and safety from natural hazards. ACEC designation indicates the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recognizes the significant values of the area and intends to implement management to protect and enhance the resource values.

This dataset depicts boundaries of areas considered, nominated, and designated as areas of critical environmental concern (ACEC). Federal Land and Policy Management Act Section 103 (43 US Code 1702[a]) and 43 Code of Federal Regulations 1601.0-5(a) describes ACECS as ‘areas within the public lands where special management attention is required to protect and prevent irreparable damage to important historic, cultural, or scenic values, fish and wildlife resources or other natural systems or processes, or to protect life and safety from natural hazards.”