Exploring Net Benefit Maximization: Conservation Easements and the Public-Private Interface

Gustanski and Wright talk about conservation easements and the public-private interface. The ease of application across varied lands coupled with the financial and tax-associated benefits of conservation easements have driven the popularity of their use in conserving private lands across the US. Conservation easements typically require sizeable public funding resources, which are provided through either direct public expenditures via diverse public programs established to promote the conservation of land or through tax benefits

Land trusts and private land conservation: a trans-Atlantic comparative analysis of the ethics-economics-policy paradigm

Research carried out in the UK and US investigated land conservation from a multidisciplinary perspective. The primary focus is on conservation on private lands, and concentrating on the role of non-profit sector land conservation organisations. The work explores the role that an integrated decision-making framework could play in this sector, and lays an appropriate base for future development of such a framework, termed the Integrated Land Conservation Decision Support (ILCDS) modelThis work is grounded in the fact that many land use decisions have greater long-term impacts that are more absolute than most other private and governmental choices. Evaluation of attitudes and values of mainstream populations toward land use and conservation was conducted through, focus groups, surveys and interviews. These evaluations were coupled with an investigative assessment of legislation in the UK and US.Central to this study was the multifaceted exploration and analysis of the dimensions, differences, commonalties, and fragmentation of private sector land protection in the UK and US. By enriching the evaluation in this way, the study identifies both the absence of, and the need for an appropriate analytical framework for evaluating long-term private sector land conservation decisions. Interviews were used to examine the experiences of land trusts and to evaluate the validity and utility of an integrated décision-support tool, as the ILCDS model.This thesis addressed, and realised, the objective of presenting and examining the ethics-economics-policy paradigm in the contextual setting of private land protection efforts of land trusts in the US and UK. The underpinnings that embody the paradigm as it relates to establishing the framework for the ILCDS model were mapped out for the purposes of identifying specific directions for future development of the décision-support model. The information represents a holistic assessment of the beliefs, logic and values embedded in the mainstream UK and US populations on land use and conservation issues

Adapting Conservation Easements to Climate Change

Perpetual conservation easements (CEs) are popular for restricting development and land use, but their fixed terms create challenges for adaptation to climate change. The increasing pace of environmental and social change demands adaptive conservation instruments. To examine the adaptive potential of CEs, we surveyed 269 CEs and interviewed 73 conservation organization employees. Although only 2% of CEs mentioned climate change, the majority of employees were concerned about climate change impacts. CEs share the fixed-boundary limits typical of protected areas with additional adaptation constraints due to permanent terms on private lands. CEs often have multiple, potentially conflicting purposes that protect against termination but complicate decisions about principled, conservation-oriented adaptation. Monitoring is critical for shaping adaptive responses, but only 35% of CEs allowed organizations to conduct ecological monitoring. In addition, CEs provided few requirements or incentives for active stewardship of private lands. We found four primary options for changing land use restrictions, each with advantages and risks: CE amendment, management plan revisions, approval of changes through discretionary consent, and updating laws or policies codified in the CE. Conservation organizations, funders, and the Internal Revenue Service should promote processes for principled adaptation in CE terms, provide more active stewardship of CE lands, and consider alternatives to the CE tool

Putting a Price Tag on Water: an Ecosystem Services Valuation for Water Rights in Washington

Gustanski will discuss putting a pricetag on water rights. She will describe the development of an ecosystem services model.Resource Dimensions