The greatest threat to maintaining and improving the quality of our natural environment is ourselves. It is important to maintain robust environmental regulations that allow for the protection of the natural environment, particularly amenities that contribute to the character/tourism of the region and resources that we depend on for health and quality of life including water and air.
Much of this is initiated on a federal level and delegated down to states and then down to communities but I think it's worth considering what additional amenities are present in specific areas that are worth protecting. Also consistent enforcement of these rules as well as buy in from political figures is also important. It's that inconsistency in buy in that has let to a lot of variation on the extent to which these types of regulations are implemented.
Failure to protect natural amenities will lead to a reduction in the quality of life in the region, loss of tourism dollars, and potentially health impacts. Protection should be a high priority for any community.
Working collaboratively across jurisdictions also makes a lot of sense considering air, water and scenic vista's typically cross political jurisdictions.