Topic
Conservation easement
About: Conservation easement is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 302 publications have been published within this topic receiving 3551 citations. The topic is also known as: conservation covenant & conservation restriction.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: Land trusts, partnered with government agencies or acting alone, are working to conserve habitat, open space, and working landscapes on private land as mentioned in this paper, and they are currently an attractive approach to land protection.
Abstract: Land trusts, partnered with government agencies or acting alone, are working to conserve habitat, open space, and working landscapes on private land. Spending both public and private funds, such institutions frequently acquire less than full title by purchasing or accepting donations of conservation easements. These title and organizational arrangements are evolving so fast that it is difficult to assess their conservation accom- plishments and long-term viability. To understand the contribution of these arrangements to the preservation and restoration of biodiversity, conservation biologists need to identify the biological resources likely to be conserved and those likely to be left unprotected through easements held by land trusts. We describe land trusts and conservation easements and why they are currently an attractive approach to land protection. Our review of the literature showed that little information is available on (1) the resulting pattern of protected lands and resources being conserved, (2) the emerging institutions that hold conservation easements and the landowners they work with, and (3) the distribution of costs and benefits of land trusts and easements to communities and the general public. The prescriptive literature on how to establish land trusts and negotiate easements is extensive. However, easily available information on protected resources is too aggregated to determine what is actually being conserved, and more detailed data is widely scattered and hence difficult to synthesize. The social science literature provides some insight into the motives of landowners who participate but offers little about the variety of institutions or which type of institution works best in particular ecological and political settings. Equally undeveloped is our understanding of the inherent tension between the public and private benefits of this widely used incentive-based conservation strategy. Interdisciplinary research is needed to de- termine the ecological and social consequences of acquiring partial interest in private land for conservation purposes.
374 citations
TL;DR: The results demonstrate the need for clear restrictions on building and subdivision in easements, research on the compatibility of private uses on easement land, and greater public understanding of the trade-offs implicit in the use of conservation easements for biodiversity conservation.
Abstract: Conservation easements are one of the primary tools for conserving biodiversity on private land. Despite their increasing use, little quantitative data are available on what species and habitats conservation easements aim to protect, how much structural development they allow, or what types of land use they com- monly permit. To address these knowledge gaps, we surveyed staff responsible for 119 conservation easements established by the largest nonprofit easement holder, The Nature Conservancy, between 1985 and 2004. Most easements (80%) aimed to provide core habitat to protect species or communities on-site, and nearly all were designed to reduce development. Conservation easements also allowed for a wide range of private uses, which may result in additional fragmentation and habitat disturbance. Some residential or commercial use, new structures, or subdivision of the property were permitted on 85% of sampled conservation easements. Over half (56%) allowed some additional buildings, of which 60% restricted structure size or building area. Working landscape easements with ranching, forestry, or farming made up nearly half (46%) of the easement proper- ties sampled and were more likely than easements without these uses to be designated as buffers to enhance biodiversity in the surrounding area. Our results demonstrate the need for clear restrictions on building and subdivision in easements, research on the compatibility of private uses on easement land, and greater public understanding of the trade-offs implicit in the use of conservation easements for biodiversity conservation.
247 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners' participation in cost-share programs was performed for data collected from a random sample of 329 Indiana landowners.
Abstract: This study provides an analysis of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners’ participation in forestry assistance programs. A probit model was used for data collected from a random sample of 329 Indiana landowners. The analysis revealed that total land owned, commercial reasons for ownership, government sources of information, and membership in forestry organizations influenced NIPF landowners’ program participation. Age, fear of loss of property rights, and duration since the first wooded tract was acquired also influenced program participation. Location of landowners’ residence on their wooded land and landowners’ knowledge of and willingness to participate in a conservation easement influenced the participation in cost-share programs.
152 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the characteristics of family forest owners who had participated in these programs and identified strategies to capitalize on these landowner characteristics to improve current programs and attract a wider range of participants.
148 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured the transaction costs associated with four policies to reduce agricultural phosphorous pollution in the Minnesota River and found that the tax on phosphate fertilizers had the lowest transaction costs, followed by educational programs on best management practices, conservation tillage on all cropped land, and expansion of a permanent conservation easement program.
Abstract: This study measured the magnitude of transaction costs associated with policies to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Interviews with staff from governmental agencies were conducted to estimate transaction costs associated with four policies to reduce agricultural phosphorous pollution in the Minnesota River. The tax on phosphate fertilizers had the lowest transaction costs ($0.94 million), followed by educational programs on best management practices ($3.11 million), the requirement for conservation tillage on all cropped land ($7.85 million), and expansion of a permanent conservation easement program ($9.37 million). Taxes, thus, may have advantages with respect to transaction costs and abatement costs. (JEL Q15; Q25)
139 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2017 | 15 |