Country road through rolling green hills of ranchland under a cloudy sky.
WHAT IS A CONSERVATION AREA?
A Conservation Area is a given area of land in which private landowners can join a regional partnership consisting of interested agencies, organizations, indigenous tribes, and local communities, the goal of which is to achieve regional conservation goals. Private landowners benefit because they acquire less than fee title interest or enter into management agreements while retaining their rights to land use.
"We are talking about vast tracts of lands that need to be conserved. Conservation Areas are the best process available to place conservation easements on private lands."
- David Houghton, CEO of WildLandscapes International and longtime proponent of the Conservation Area System
WHY ARE CONSERVATION AREAS THE BEST PATH FORWARD?
I. A Compelling Track Record:
The locations of Conservation Areas are determined using spatial conservation planning tools developed from mathematical models that highlight priority areas for conservation work. Complex solutions require a long time to develop, but time and time again we have seen how collaborative stakeholder driven strategies have proven successful in protecting natural resources while providing long-term benefits to the community. One example of a conservation area in Florida is the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area.
The acquisition authority of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C.742aa-j) allows the US Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase critical wetland and grassland easements and, thus, establish conservation areas. The passing of the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997 further formalized the Conservation Area designation.
II. Flexible Funding
Federal funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) – recently funded at $900 million annually – can be used to supplement state conservation money, leveraging a variety of resources to stimulate landscape conservation. This flexibility in funding sources prevents the competition of funds for other conservation projects within the state or region.
III. A Collaborative, Tailored Strategy
Designating Conservation Areas allows the effort to be a collaborative initiative to conserve land and restore habitats through creating and connecting a matrix of conservation lands and wildlife corridors, interspersed with working lands. This designation is driven by partnerships and allows for greater flexibility and can be easily tailored to better achieve land protection and management goals compared with other designations.
Conservation Areas can be done independently by the administration, bypassing potentially slow legislative processes. A Memorandum of Understanding provides the legal framework for public agencies and private landowners to partner in cooperative cross-boundary ecosystem management. Through conservation easements, landowners can retain ownership of the land and the right to work the land to raise cattle or crops, while ensuring that land will not be developed.
CARING FOR THE LAND AND PEOPLE
Aldo Leopold famously wrote, “Nothing so important as a land ethic is ever written - it evolves in the minds of a thinking community”, recognizing that land ethics had to be a collective, cultural effort. Today, as we struggle to address complex social and environmental crises, our shared future depends on forging principles that unify diverse voices and objectives.
The solution is simple; the way forward is clear. Working together is the key to conserving landscapes in the U.S. Our climate and society are changing and will continue to do so. This opportunity can create a stakeholder-led scenario for the landscape that benefits the community while providing ecological lift. Conservation Areas are a collaborative and cost-effective way to conserve the land, water, and wildlife resources in the U.S., while honoring the legacy of stewardship handed down through generations. The Biden Administration aims for the formal protection of 30% of land by 2030, doubling the amount of protected land in the country in less than a decade. Conservation Areas could build upon this effort to add acres of critical ranchland, farmland, wildlife habitat, and flood protection and water storage lands to the America the Beautiful initiative.
With the creation of Conservation Areas, 30 percent doesn’t have to be the end goal. Perhaps it’s just the beginning.
For more information on Conservation Areas, see our reports below.
