Growth management of human development, as well as environmental sustainability and conservation have become a major concern throughout much of the United States. In the southern Appalachians, sprawl and environmental degradation is of particular concern due to the proximity of metropolitan and other growing areas to national, state and local parks, forests and parkways. Knoxville, Tennessee, for instance, has been identified as one of the nation's top ten hotspots of sprawl. Uncontrolled growth is becoming a major problem in the region. Unrestrained growth contributes directly to environmental degradation and decreases the availability and utilization of sustainable practices. The natural beauty of the landscape and culture heritage associated with the Appalachian highlands provides poignancy to societal resolve to respond positively to these environmental stewardship values. The good news is that there are increasing numbers of organizations involved in the sustainability of natural resources, growth management, and environmental conservation in the region. These are referred to here as 'Best Practices". The bad news is that these islands of enlightenment are just that and not widely adapted throughout the region.

As part of an an ambitious government/private industry project to develop a Biocomplexity database, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) and CSA, a leading bibliographic database provider, have developed a web-based searchable database of Best Sustainability Practices in the southern Appalachians. Examples of environmental stewardship, growth management and sustainable development are provided in order to highlight key growth and environmental sustainability management strategies, foster collaboration among non-government organizations, and private companies dedicated to various dimensions of sustainable practices, and educate groups and individuals about possible solutions to their own growth management difficulties and ways to conserve and protect the environment.