We now recognize the devastating effects our domination approach has had on the land. It is no easy task. The lessons learned must overcome our long standing habits of dominating land which are deeply ingrained and thus slow to pass away. We also face barriers every step of the way because so much of our economic structure is based on the speculative value of land. The land trust movement in North America has begun to provide alternatives by putting land into legal forms other than traditional ownership.
People use land trusts for many different purposes.
For others, there are unique qualities of land which should be protected. For some, the economic considerations of land is an important issue to deal with. Still others want to explore how to recreate a sustainable relationship between people and the land through new forms of stewardship. Generally the land is protected by conservation easements which give guidelines for the future care of the land. Conservation easements are legal restrictions placed on the land title to prevent the current owners or any future owners from developing the land without the agreement of the trust.