Land trusts are distinguished by their first-hand involvement in land transactions or management. This involvement can take many forms. Some land trusts purchase or accept donations of land or of conservative easements. Some trusts manage land owned by others or advise landowners on how to preserve their land. Land trusts help advise landowners on how to preserve their land.
Some land trusts help negotiate conservation transactions in which they play no other role.
Land trust often work cooperatively with government agencies by acquiring or managing land, researching open space needs and priorities, and assisting in the development of open space plans. They also may work with other nonprofit organizations and sometimes with developers. A land trust may do one, several, or all of these things. Some land trusts are organized to protect a single piece of property, but the more active trusts have a larger land protection agenda. They may focus their efforts in a community, in a region, on a particular type of resource, or on a protection project.