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In 1999 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) prepared a first iteration ecoregional plan for the US portion of the Northern Appalachian-Acadian (NAP) Ecoregion. That first iteration identified several key deficiencies to be addressed in a next iteration: 1) It addressed only the US portion of an international ecoregion. 2). It did not address freshwater aquatic features. 3) It did not adequately address habitat needs for viable populations of wide-ranging species. 4) It had not been developed with much input from partner organizations. In 2001 TNC began preparation for a second iteration of an ecoregional assessment that would better address those four components as well as incorporate the significant amount of new inventory and new conservation efforts.

TNC has been working with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), the Atlantic Canada Conservation Centre (AC CDC), provincial and federal governments, land trusts and other partners to prepare this revised plan that includes the Canadian portion of the Ecoregion. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is the only national charity in Canada dedicated to the creation of nature preserves and the conservation of ecologically significant lands.

The study area encompasses parts of New England, New York and southern Quibec, and all of the Gaspi Peninsula and the Maritime Provinces. It represents a massive revision of the 1999 material that is far more comprehensive in its scope.

The NAP Ecoregional Planning Team has been led by Mark Anderson of TNC. Barbara Vickery, TNC, was co-lead for the US portion, Martha Gorman, NCC, for the Maritimes and Louise Gratton, NCC for Quibec. Louise Gratton was also lead for Plant Targets for the ecoregion overall; Barbara Vickery was lead on birds and Josette Maillet, NCC, for all other animal targets except lynx and other wide-ranging mammals. Mark Anderson led the assessment of ecosystems and communities. Arlene Olivero, TNC, led the assessment of freshwater features in the US. Greg Kehm, TNC, was the lead in compiling and integrating the many layers of geographic information essential for the plan. The many others who contributed to the assessment are listed in the Appendix.