Land Protection Agreements

What problems do land protection agreements help to solve? 

The United States is losing agricultural land at a rapid pace. Every year, 1 million acres of farm- and ranchland are lost, largely due to development and encroaching suburbs and cities.  That’s an area the size of Rhode Island that becomes subdivisions, highways and strip malls. 

The U.S. also loses over 1 million acres of natural lands every year. Many of these lands, such as forests, wetlands and grasslands, are privately owned. This makes land protection agreements an important way to protect plant and animal species and the habitats they depend on. 

Are there threats to land protection agreements? 

Despite their popularity, these agreements are under threat. Some state and federal lawmakers are threatening to limit or even eliminate the use of easements—potentially erasing a private property right that farmers, ranchers and other landowners have enjoyed for generations. 

How do conservation easements work? 

Conservation easements are one of the most important types of land protection agreements. 

All conservation easements are a voluntary decision on the part of a landowner. To create an easement, a private landowner will work with either a public entity or a charitable land trust organization such as TNC. Landowners work hand-in-hand with a trusted third party to shape the terms of these agreements, which include tax benefits for maintaining land in its current use. 

Landowners maintain ownership of their property and continue living on and utilizing it. In return, they agree to protect their land from being developed or subdivided. The tax benefits that come with these agreements help landowners pass their property down to their children, as well as helping them to continue to farm, ranch or recreate on their land for years to come.

Benefits of land protection agreements

The many benefits of voluntary land protection agreements include:

• Making land ownership more affordable. The cost of doing business is rising. With outside interests wanting to convert open spaces into data centers, strip malls and housing developments, many landowners feel they have no choice but to sell their land. The tax incentives that come with conservation easements mean land is more likely to stay a farm or forest and can be kept within the family for generations to come.
  

• Boosting rural economies and maintaining the rural way of life through income not only from farming, ranching and forest products, but also from hunting, fishing and wildlife-viewing on land protected by easements. 

• Protecting military readiness by ensuring land in the vicinity of military installations and critical airspace is protected from incompatible development that would hamper the military’s ability to test, train and operate.

• Enhancing food security at the local, state and national level by preventing the loss of farms and ranches. 

• Protecting habitat for wildlife ranging from big game, such as elk, to rare and endangered species, including the greater sage grouse and the Atlantic salmon. 
  

• Supplying clean air and water by protecting forests, wetlands and other natural landscapes. Healthy natural habitats also help to save money by reducing the risk of costly floods, for example, or reducing the need for expensive water treatment facilities.