Abstract:
Conservation easements provide a way to permanently commit private land to uses that support
ecosystem health. In recent years, both the number of land trusts and the amount of land put
into easements has increased greatly. However, easements have been criticized as a piece-meal
approach to conservation, with little value to real conservation goals if isolated and surrounded by other
land uses. To better understand the ecological value of easements, we examined how land trusts and
other organizations are using conservation easements to enhance ecosystems and ecosystem services
across the West.