Ace Basin

One of the largest coastal ecosystems on the East coast

The ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers) Focus Area encompasses 1.7 million acres of upland and wetland habitat along the coast of South Carolina between Charleston and Beaufort and is one of the largest intact coastal ecosystems on the East coast.

The nationally lauded ACE Basin Project began in 1988, launched by South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, various private and nonprofit organizations, private landowners, and the ACE Basin Task Force. The mission of the ACE Basin Project is to maintain the natural character of the basin by promoting wise resource management on private lands and protecting strategic tracts by conservation agencies. A major goal is to ensure that traditional uses of the land such as farming, forestry, recreational and commercial fishing and hunting will continue.

Nationally Recognized For Its Ecological Importance

The ACE Basin is recognized by the Edisto River Basin Resource Assessment, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as a system supporting numerous high quality wetland plant communities and highly intact, extensive riparian habitats. It's identified as a unique coastal ecosystem of national and regional significance under the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan, and the lower ACE Basin watershed is identified as a priority site under the United States Fish & Wildlife Service's 1992 Emergency Wetlands Resources Act Southeast Regional Wetlands Concept Plan.

The habitats of the ACE Basin are exceptionally diverse and rich supporting more than 267 species of terrestrial and aquatic birds, 83 species of reptiles and amphibians, 20 species of mammals, and 130 species of fish and shellfish. Included in this tremendous array of wildlife, the ACE Basin provides nesting, foraging, and wintering habitat for a number of endangered and threatened species, including the bald eagle, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the wood stork. Additionally, the ACE Basin is home to approximately 30 species listed as endangered, threatened or special by the state of South Carolina.

Currently, The Land Trust protects 72 properties and 36,528 acres in the ACE Basin, contributing to the more than 200,000 acres of lands protected by private organizations or under public ownership. We continue to work closely with the ACE Basin Task Force and other partners to ensure the protection of more acreage in this nationally recognized area, focusing on targeted parcels that increase connectivity and corridor enhancement.