Benefits of Conservation Easements

The potential ecological benefits that can come with conservation easements are endless. For one, because many conservation easements strictly prohibit development on the land, they can help put a stop to urban sprawl that is devouring much of Minnesota and the rest of the country. The recorded effects of urban sprawl on the environment are numerous: destruction of natural habitats, increased air and water pollution, as well as increased soil erosion (Meredith, 2003). The decrease in urban spawl can help to reduce light and noise pollution and thus is to the benefit of many involved. Conservation easements also reduces fragmentation of the land and thus increase wildlife habitat, works to ensure sustainable forestry, and in many cases guarantee continued public access. The National Academy of Science stated that "the conversion of land from its natural state to human use is the most permanent and often irreversible effect that humans can have on the natural landscape": Conservation easements offer a way to avoid these harmful effects.

Many are proponents of conservation easements because they are so flexible -not one size fits all (Merenlander et. al, 1998). Every landowner is able to take into account their separate needs and are thus able to balance their desire to preserve their land with individual interests such as the desire to continue hunting or farming on parts of the property. Because such a large proportion of Minnesota land is now privately owned, it is important to work with these private landowners in order to achieve conservation goals that will benefit us all. Tax benefits, more fully described elsewhere in this project, provide some incentive for landowners to donate or sell their land to conservation organizations, but many do it because they want to preserve a small part of Minnesota's cultural, historical, and ecological history.

Conservation easements work to preserve many vital ecosystems and land uses within the state. Minnesota's forests are being protected around the state through many conservation easement programs and are being especially targeted byThe Forest Legacy Program of the DNR.Many of the conservation easements offered by the USDA work to successfully restore agricultural land back to native ecosystems, but some also work to prevent farmland from becoming developed and thus work to preserve a way of life that is quickly becoming extinct across the country. It has been shown that agricultural land is especially vulnerable to urban sprawl due to the fact that it tends to be the most readily available and developable and cheapest to purchase (Meredith, 2003). Wetlands, another ecosystem that is threatened around the country due to urban sprawl and need for additional agricultural land, are protected by several US Fish and Wildlife Service Programs.

Another primary benefit of conservation easements is that they allow conservation organizations to avoid the huge financial costs and politics that come with public land acquisition (Plantinga et. al, 2001). Conservation easements often cost less than full fee acquisition (Main et. al, 1998) and thus allow for more land to be conserved. The fact that many conservation easements are donated is a testament to the love that many landowners have for their property, but is also beneficial in the fact that this allows land trusts and other conservation organizations to protect more areas from development. A representative from the Minnesota Land Trust says that to conceive of the amount of money it would take to outright purchase all of the land involved in conservation easements is "mind boggling," thus demonstrating that conservation easements are an essential supplement to other commonly used conservation tools.

Conservation easements may help landowners reach personal goals; a study by Wright has shown that individuals enter into conservation easements for a variety of reasons, including protecting habitat, maintaining the land for farming, and reducing friction among heirs (Wright, 1993). Conservation easements may be part of the solution to the land crisis that is currently taking place in Northern Minnesota. A January 2006 from the Duluth News Tribune reports that, with funding from the Forest Legacy Program, the Minnesota Legislature, and the Blandin Foundation, the state government is working together with conservation organizations to form a conservation easement on 1,630 acres of unbroken land near Grand Rapids. (Myers news article). This will not only preserve many of the ecological benefits that come from unfragmented forested land, but will also allow continued recreational access for hunting and skiing, among other activities. Conservation easements are relatively new to Minnesota and many believe that the above example of a conservation easement can serve as an example to others in the state of how to correctly use this conservation tool. (This area, as well as other Forest Legacy Programs, are discussed further elsewhere in this project.)

Photo courtesy of http://www.inspirationbayport.com/

As another example of how conservation easements can work to benefit the citizens and wildlife of Minnesota, a "natural neighborhood" housing development has recently opened up in Bayport, MN. Out of the 254 acre development, only 30% of the area is designated for housing and roads. 70% of the property is to be restored to native prairie, wetlands, oak savanna, and woodlands, all of which are designated as perpetual nature preserves and, in addition, two Native American burial grounds will be protected. The Minnesota Land Trust holds the conservation easements on the open land in the development. This "environmentally enlightened development" not only provides habitat for native species, but also has an alternative stormwater system that works to naturally cleanse runoff that eventually reaches the St. Croix River, provides environmental education to residents, and offsets some of the negative consequences of urban sprawl. This development is an example of how conservation easements can lessen the negative impacts that this housing development might have otherwise had on the environment and the surrounding community.

Finally, because landowner's retain control of the property under a conservation easement, the decisions controlling land management are made locally and have a better chance of reflecting the needs of the local community. Also local jobs that are dependent upon the land, such as those related to resource production or tourism, can be protected through a conservation easement (Greene, 2005).

Home ___Definition __Ecological Benefits___Tax Benefits_ Drawbacks__Types__Forest Legacy _ Suggestions___Methods__Citations ___