Gov. Henry McMaster signed Executive Order 2026-24 on Thursday, creating the Governor's Conservation Commission, a new advisory body tasked with coordinating South Carolina's land conservation push as the state works toward a goal of protecting 7 million acres by 2050. The order takes effect immediately.
According to wistv.com, the commission will advise the governor and executive branch on conservation and preservation strategies, promote coordination among state agencies, and assist local governments in developing their own conservation goals. It's also charged with identifying potential funding sources and encouraging partnerships among public, private, academic, and nonprofit organizations, per the same report.
As detailed in the Greenville Business Magazine account of the order, the commission's roster will include key state officials serving as ex officio members alongside up to 26 members appointed by the governor from the private and academic sectors. The body will serve strictly in an advisory capacity, with no independent authority spelled out beyond that role.
Why McMaster Says the Panel Is Needed
McMaster framed the commission as a way to bring stakeholders together. He said it aims to strengthen collaboration among state and local agencies, private landowners, entities, and citizens to preserve South Carolina's natural resources, wildlife, historic sites, and cultural heritage, according to the executive order details relayed by wistv.com. The governor also said South Carolina's natural beauty and rich history help make the state unique, and that the commission will bring people together to strengthen conservation and protect resources for future generations.
The commission is also expected to work toward increasing public awareness of South Carolina's history and culture, part of a broader mandate that extends beyond pure land acquisition into heritage preservation. The order's immediate effective date, confirmed by wpde.com, means the panel can begin its coordination work right away rather than waiting on a future rollout.
The Numbers Behind South Carolina's Conservation Push
South Carolina has preserved approximately 3.4 million acres of land to date, including about 400,000 acres added since 2017, wpde.com reports. The South Carolina Protected Lands and Conservation Coordination Act of 2026 established the long-term goal of protecting 7 million acres by 2050, while McMaster has separately called for preserving 10 million acres for current and future generations, according to the same station's reporting.
In his State of the State Address on January 28, McMaster told lawmakers that South Carolina had preserved almost 400,000 acres of historically or environmentally significant land in less than 10 years, according to the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. He also credited the South Carolina Conservation Land Bank with providing just over $250 million for conservation, funding that has helped attract additional federal, local, and private dollars, the organization noted. That same address referenced what McMaster called the state's largest conservation easement in history — a 62,000-acre easement in the Pee Dee permanently protected the previous year, per the federation's account.
Recent Projects Show the Scale of the Work
Large land deals already underway in the Lowcountry illustrate the kind of multi-partner effort the new commission is meant to encourage. The Open Space Institute and Open Land Trust announced the permanent protection of more than 1,700 acres in Beaufort County on December 11, 2025, as part of the Pocotaligo Station project, according to the Open Space Institute. That first phase alone cost $11.5 million for 1,742 acres, with the full project expected to ultimately protect nearly 3,000 acres and create a new state forest in southwest South Carolina.
The Open Space Institute's announcement noted that additional properties totaling nearly 1,100 acres were expected to be protected in spring 2026, and that once transferred to the state, the land will be managed as a new public forest by the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The project drew support from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the Beaufort County Greenspace Program, the Forestry Commission, and the Chilton Land and Timber Company, the institute said — the kind of cross-sector collaboration the new Governor's Conservation Commission is now charged with replicating statewide.
