Reconciling Development and Natural Beauty: The Promise and Dilemma of Conservation Easements

Abstract

Local and regional private land trusts are among the most important and most numerous conservation actors in contemporary America, and conservation easements are perhaps the key land conservation tools used by these trusts.

This article examines various criticisms and proposals for reform of current conservation easement practice in light of a detailed survey of conservation easements held by local and regional land trusts in Massachusetts. More specifically, it provides important detail on contemporary conservation easement practice, considers the interaction between contemporary practice and the abstract concerns raised in the academic debate, and offers some suggestions for reform and further study.

Keywords: conservation easements, land trusts, conservation, development, land use, tax deduction, property