Some officials estimate that it would cost $60 million to buy all the privately held land in the preservation area.
The highest point of the city is Cambirela mountain, located in a natural preservation area.
"It's a diamond in the rough and an important preservation area."
"We have to actually go look at every space in the preservation area," she said.
His Dutch farm was located in a natural preservation area and thus could not expand.
Five towns are entirely in the preservation area, where development has been largely halted.
The preservation area, he said, will create more losers than winners.
The state marked off a 339,000-acre "preservation area," all but closed to new development.
The boundaries of the preservation area were negotiated by legislators, local officials and building industry leaders.
The region was considered an environmental preservation area by decree nr.