Conservation land trust

Last updated
Pipestone Creek Conservation Area in Alberta Canada-Edmonton and Area Land Trust Pipestone Creek Conservation Area in Alberta Canada.jpg
Pipestone Creek Conservation Area in Alberta Canada–Edmonton and Area Land Trust

Conservation land trusts are nonprofit organizations that acquire and steward land or conservation easements for the purpose of achieving environmental, agricultural, recreational, and/or species conservation goals. [1] Conservation land trusts often work in cooperation with landowners to achieve shared goals and may provide public outreach events on the themes of science, environmental issues, species conservation, or other topics relevant to the land they work to protect. [1] Priorities of conservation land trusts vary, but may include goals related to water quality, public access to land, and biodiversity. [1] Oversight of these priorities and of the work carried out by the land trust typically rests with a board of directors. [1] Conservation land trusts may operate in partnership with government agencies or under broader umbrella nonprofit organizations. [1] Land trusts may focus their work in specific local areas delineated by political boundaries, habitat types, or ecological zones. [1] Funding can be limited for the work of these organizations, such that many rely on volunteer labor. [1]

Contents

Regional land trusts

Although there are some global conservation land trust organizations that do work across multiple continents, such as the World Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy, most land trusts focus on smaller regional areas. [1] [2] [3] Conservation land trust organizations exist all across the world, and many belong to the International Land Conservation Network. [4]

Land trusts in Africa

Some African conservation land trusts:

Land trusts in North America

In North America, most conservation land trusts are found in the United States, with a growing number in Canada and Mexico. [4] In the United States, the first conservation land trust organization was the Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations, founded in 1891. [1] As of 2021, there were over 1,300 conservation land trusts in the United States, with 446 of these accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. [1]

Some North American conservation land trusts:

Land trusts in South America

Some South American conservation land trusts:

Land trusts in Asia

Some Asian conservation land trusts:

Land trusts in Europe

Some European conservation land trusts:

Land trusts in Oceania

Some conservation land trusts in Oceania:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature conservation</span> Movement to protect the biosphere

Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values underlie conservation, which can be guided by biocentrism, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, and sentientism, environmental ideologies that inform ecocultural practices and identities. There has recently been a movement towards evidence-based conservation which calls for greater use of scientific evidence to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts. As of 2018 15% of land and 7.3% of the oceans were protected. Many environmentalists set a target of protecting 30% of land and marine territory by 2030. In 2021, 16.64% of land and 7.9% of the oceans were protected. The 2022 IPCC report on climate impacts and adaptation, underlines the need to conserve 30% to 50% of the Earth's land, freshwater and ocean areas – echoing the 30% goal of the U.N.'s Convention on Biodiversity. Ultimately, these movements should be further promoted to encourage biodiversity and to conserve a functional ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NatureScot</span> Scottish government agency for natural heritage conservation

NatureScot, which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservation, and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e. national nature reserves, local nature reserves, national parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and the national scenic areas. It receives annual funding from the Government in the form of Grant in Aid to deliver Government priorities for the natural heritage.

Land trusts are nonprofit organizations which own and manage land, and sometimes waters. There are three common types of land trust, distinguished from one another by the ways in which they are legally structured and by the purposes for which they are organized and operated:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nature Conservancy</span> Charitable environmental organization

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. As of 2021 it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NatureServe</span> American non-profit organization

NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and the public. NatureServe reports being "headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with regional offices in four U.S. locations and in Canada." In calendar year 2011 they reported having 86 employees, 6 volunteers, and 15 independent officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Coastal Conservancy</span>

The California State Coastal Conservancy is a non-regulatory state agency in California established in 1976 to enhance coastal resources and public access to the coast. The CSCC is a department of the California Natural Resources Agency. The agency's work is conducted along the entirety of the California coast, including the interior San Francisco Bay and is responsible for the planning and coordination of federal land sales to acquire into state land as well as award grant funding for improvement projects. The Board of Directors for the agency is made up of seven members who are appointed by the Governor of California and approved by the California Legislature, members of the California State Assembly and California State Senate engage and provide oversight within their legislative capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Pennsylvania Conservancy</span> Private nonprofit organization

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) is a private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. WPC has contributed land to 12 state parks and conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands. The Conservancy plants and maintains more than 132 gardens in 20 Western Pennsylvania counties, as well as planting thousands of trees through its community forestry program. WPC has protected or restored more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of rivers and streams. In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann Jr. entrusted Frank Lloyd Wright's masterwork Fallingwater to the Conservancy. The house was called the most important building of the 20th century by the American Institute of Architects.

The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a network of conservation groups encompassing 24 watersheds of the 650 kilometer-long Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. Beginning in 1993, the Alliance protects and restores Sierra Nevada lands, watersheds, wildlife and communities.

Natural Lands is a non-profit land conservation organization with headquarters in Media, Pennsylvania, dedicated to the management, protection, and conservation of eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey's native forests, fields, streams, and wetlands. The organization owns and manages 44 nature preserves—totaling more than 23,000 acres—located in 13 counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Nineteen of the preserves are open to the public for recreational use; the others have limited visitation due to the presence of sensitive ecosystems or limited facilities.

The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico is a private, nonprofit organization protecting natural areas; constituting conservation easements; restoring, rehabilitating and preserving historical structures; developing educational programs that foster the protection of natural areas; and directing a tree nursery program for native and endemic species, among others. The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico has been accredited by The Land Trust Accreditation Commission. The Conservation Trust is also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global environmental organization with more than 1,200 public and private members from 160 countries.

Conserving Carolina is a non-profit conservation organization working to preserve water and land resources in Western North Carolina. Conserving Carolina was created in July 2017, from a merger of two previously-separate organizations, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Pacolet Area Conservancy. The combined organization maintains a primary office in Hendersonville, NC and a regional office in Columbus, NC.

The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Traverse City, Michigan. It is an independent organization with its own by-laws, policies, board, staff, and budget. The organization is funded by private donors as well as local, state, and national foundations. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has a volunteer Board of Directors and a professional year-round, full-time professional staff.

California Rangeland Trust is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by a group of innovative ranchers committed to conservation. The Rangeland Trust is now the largest land trust in California, having conserved nearly 300,000 acres (1,200 km2) of rangeland on 61 ranches across 24 counties.

The Conservation Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development. From 2008–2018, it has placed more than 500,000 acres under conservation management through a program whose goal is to purchase and permanently protect working forests. Since its founding in 1985, the organization has protected land and water in all 50 states, including parks, historic battlefields, and wild areas. The Fund works with community and government leaders, businesses, landowners, conservation nonprofits and other partners to integrate economic and environmental objectives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County</span> Nonprofit organization in California

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County (LCSLO) is a local nonprofit organization in California that has served San Luis Obispo (SLO) County since 1984. Through voluntary and collaborative efforts the LCSLO works to protect and enhance lands having important scenic, agricultural, habitat and cultural values for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Scenic Hudson is a non-profit environmental organization in New York that protects land, creates, and enhances parks, and advocates for environmentally responsible policies and development practices.

The Wyss Foundation is a charitable organization based in Washington, D.C., that was founded by philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss. Established in 1998, the foundation has provided funding to conservation, environmental journalism, education, museums and progressive political advocacy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 What Is a Land Trust?. We Conserve PA. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  2. ↑ WLT. World Land Trust. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  3. ↑ TNC. The Nature Conservancy. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Locations. International Land Conservation Network. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  5. ↑ The Black Family Land Trust. Equity Trust. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  6. ↑ BLMT. Blue Mountain Land Trust. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  7. ↑ CNLM. Center for Natural Lands Management. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ EALT. Edmonton & Area Land Trust. Accessed April 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ Burrenbeo Trust. The Burrenbeo Trust. Accessed April 21, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.