The Road to 30: Private Land Conservation
By: Tyler Mcintosh
Tags: Public Lands, Agriculture, Community, Conservation, Wildlife

However, most protected areas are on public lands: in the United States, 60 percent of the land is privately owned, but only 3 percent of protected areas are on privately owned land. As a result, the loss of nature is particularly acute on private property, reducing carbon sequestration and threatening ecosystems.

Between 2001 and 2017, 75 percent of all natural areas lost to development within the United States were on private lands. These lands are being lost almost five times faster than lands owned or managed by federal or state governments, and unprotected private lands are losing habitat for threatened and endangered species twice as quickly as on federal lands.

Natural private lands often contain key habitat. But the things that make them good habitat — such as water, soil, and topography — also make them attractive for development or agricultural use. For example, lands that have a balanced supply of moisture and store water (mesic ecosystems), such as riparian areas, disproportionately occur on private lands. Up to 80 percent of wildlife species depend on mesic resources for some part of their lifecycle, but it’s estimated that over half of America’s wetlands have already been lost to development.

Pine Draft Farm in Hampshire County, W.Va., EQIP project | Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program

Although private lands are losing nature rapidly, things could be much worse. Many farmers, ranchers, and forest owners have a tradition of sustainable management, protecting wildlife and habitat, and restoring degraded lands. These landowners have helped prevent the decline of nature on private lands from being even more severe. Their efforts can be enhanced and supported if we provide the tools and resources to do so.

Private lands are valuable, but unprotected. Going forward, private land conservation must be expanded to reach the 30x30 goal. Due to the lower percentage of federal lands outside the Western states, private lands must make up a larger portion of protected areas in other regions to maintain connectivity for ecosystems and wildlife habitat.

Private conservation in practice

Conservation easements and fee simple acquisition

Private lands are typically conserved either through outright purchase by private conservation organizations, or by the creation of conservation easements. Land purchase (or ‘fee simple acquisition’) by a conservation organization is straightforward: after the organization owns the land, that organization is able to manage it as they choose. While this can be a good solution in situations where landowners want to sell their land, it doesn’t address the millions of landowners who want to retain land ownership while also protecting their land. That’s where conservation easements come in.

Budeau Wetland Easement Field Tour | NRCS Oregon

Conservation easements are voluntary agreements by a landowner to protect a property, often containing agricultural or ranch land. These landowners permanently give up or limit further development rights in order to protect a property’s conservation value, while preserving their right and access to the land. Easements are legal agreements that exist forever and are not altered even if the land changes hands. Owners are typically paid for placing their land under easement, or receive other types of incentives.

As families across America begin to face the risk of needing to sell some or all of their working lands, landowners may enter into an easement contract in order to avoid selling their lands or to benefit estate planning. Many landowners also enter into easements because of commitment to conservation and sustainable stewardship of their land.

In the United States, easements protect an estimated 40 million acres of natural habitat, helping pave the way to the 30x30 goal. In addition to saving places and species, conservation easements ensure that agricultural lifestyles remain viable, tying conservation efforts into the fabric of local communities.

Across the country, private lands and easements must become part of an integrated conservation network that includes wildlife corridors, tribal management areas, and large-scale protected landscapes like national parks and wildlife refuges. View the storymap to see places where private lands already form key pieces of conservation networks.

Land trusts, funding programs, and easement incentives

To create conservation easements, landowners contract with either a government agency or a nonprofit organization called a land trust. The agency or organization acquires the easement, meaning that they assume responsibility for ensuring that the easement terms are upheld. This responsibility includes stewardship of the property and ensuring that the terms of the agreement aren’t violated.