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Places We Protect

Okefenokee National Wildlife Preserve

Georgia

Closeup of an American alligator lying in a swamp.
American alligator An alligator rests within a swamp at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. © Tim Parkinson/Creative Commons

In 1978, a private company donated 14,849 acres of the swamp to The Nature Conservancy.

Okefenokee Protection Update—January 25, 2024

On Thursday, January 25, the Savannah City Council passed a resolution standing in solidarity to protect the Okefenokee Swamp, joining a growing list of Georgia cities and counties which hope to see it protected in perpetuity.

The Nature Conservancy has supported the preservation of the Okefenokee for almost half a century, and we applaud Savannah’s decision to lend their support to this critical landscape. The Okefenokee is home to hundreds of animal and plant species that are under increasing threats from mining and other developments.

"As the recent efforts to nominate the Okefenokee as a UNESCO World Heritage Site make clear, this is a vulnerable ecosystem with rich ecological and cultural value," said Monica Thornton, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. "If we lose it, there is no getting it back."

We are proud to stand with the many cities, counties and non-profits that have joined together to call for its protection.