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Draft Goals (841 01 ) Natural Areas Element <br /> Objective 2 . 2 Encourage land uses that minimize fragmentation of natural <br /> areas and wildlife habitat , and discourage land uses that lead to <br /> increased fragmentation . <br /> Objective 2 . 3 Protect Orange County ' s aquatic habitat for its rare aquatic <br /> species . <br /> Objective 2 . 4 Assure that at least 10 percent of the County ' s land area ( or <br /> 25 , 600 acres ) is in some form of protected status by 2010 . <br /> Objective 2 . 5 Maintain and protect land that contains valuable productive <br /> resources , such as prime farmland , managed forest areas and <br /> potential reservoir sites , by directing incompatible development <br /> away from these areas . <br /> Objective 2 . 6 Encourage forest management practices that minimize <br /> disturbance and fragmentation of intact hardwood forests . <br /> Objective 2 . 7 Encourage long - term productivity of farm and forest lands <br /> through best land - use management practices . <br /> Growth Management <br /> Goal Three : The management of growth so that it is directed to areas <br /> where growth is desirable and can be accommodated <br /> without compromising goals for protecting natural diversity <br /> in Orange County . <br /> Objective 3 . 1 Use the following criteria to designate the most appropriate <br /> location for the various Land Use Plan Categories : natural <br /> environment constraints ( land slope , hydrology , flora and fauna , <br /> soil conditions ) ; availability of public services and utilities , <br /> transportation system access and capacity ; impact on energy <br /> resources ; existing land uses ; presence of productive <br /> agricultural or forested land ; appropriate population densities ; <br /> and the presence of unique natural , historic or cultural features . <br /> Objective 3 . 2 Direct intensive land uses to existing urban areas and away <br /> from natural areas , agricultural and forest lands , water supply <br /> watersheds , water quality critical areas and stream corridors . <br /> Objective 3 . 3 In the rural landscape , rather than low - density rural sprawl , <br /> encourage small nodes of high - density development in <br /> conjunction with dedicated natural areas and open space <br /> surrounding these nodes . <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />