Abstract:
In the past three decades, conservation servitudes, also
known as conservation easements, have emerged as an
important means of preserving lands of ecological, scenic,
cultural, and historic value. Although exact figures are impossible to come by, it is estimated that more than nine
million acres in the United States are subject to conservation
servitudes held by land trusts and other organizations. The
explosive success of this novel approach to land preservation has
led to an increasing stream of questions and concerns.