Building Natural Capital Through Conservation Easements: A Lasting Legacy

At Unique Places to Save, we work with landowners and communities to conserve land and aquatic resources with ecological, cultural, and economic value. One of the primary tools we use to achieve this is the conservation easement. A conservation easement is a legal agreement that helps ensure land isn’t converted to incompatible uses, preserving its community and environmental benefits for future generations.

Establishing a conservation easement does more than just protect land from incompatible uses, it gives us the opportunity to preserve and even boost the natural capital for the long haul.

How do Conservation Easements Support Natural Capital?

Natural capital is the foundation of life, made up of the components of nature that sustain us all, including:

• Land
• Water
• Air
• Plants
• Wildlife

These natural resources provide essential services like clean air, water, pollination, and carbon sequestration. Simply put, without healthy stocks of natural capital, life as we know it wouldn't exist.

Think of natural capital like a savings account. The natural resources are the principal, and the ecosystem services are the interest. The size of the principal—our natural resources—determines how much interest we earn. Likewise, the health and quality of natural capital shape the quantity and value of the ecosystem services it provides.

The true power of conservation easements in protecting natural capital is their ability to protect land and other natural resources in perpetuity. While nature is never static, ecosystems thrive when given a stable foundation. Conservation easements provide this stability by shielding natural areas from disruptive activities.

By limiting harmful activities, conservation easements help preserve and even enhance natural capital, allowing ecosystems to grow in complexity and adapt to circumstances over time. This stability can, by extension, lead to improvements in the quality and resilience of ecosystems, allowing them to provide a steady flow of ecosystem services that support both the environment and human well-being.

Conservation Easements: Long-term Environmental Protection

A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization like Unique Places to Save that limits subdivision and incompatible uses of the land. While the landowner retains ownership, the easement ensures that the land is protected from uses that would compromise its conservation values.

Conservation Easements in Action: Enhancing Our Natural Capital

We’ve established that conservation easements are powerful tools for protecting natural capital and keeping those ecosystems services healthy. But how exactly do they contribute to this? Let’s take a closer look at some of the key ways conservation easements help preserve and enhance these valuable resources.

Protecting Biodiversity

Conservation easements can be used to protect vital ecosystems, preventing species loss and limiting habitat fragmentation. By preserving biodiversity, we ensure that natural capital continues to provide essential services such as:

• Pollination
• Pest control
• Seed dispersal

Through programs like the USDAs Conservation Reserve Program landowners can receive assistance from the federal government to convert marginal farmland or sensitive areas into conservation plots for 10-15 year contracts. This program can provide critical conservation benefits while landowners still retain some flexibility and independence. However, it may not provide the long-term resilience and protections that come with perpetual conservation easements.

Carbon Sequestering

Wetlands, forests, and grasslands play a critical role in combating climate change by sequestering carbon. By protecting these ecosystems, we ensure they continue to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and help mitigate climate change.

In the United States, the Land Trust Alliance has initiated its Carbon Offset Pilot Program to help land trusts access voluntary carbon markets, offering a new source of conservation funding. By aggregating carbon credits from protected lands, such as forests and grasslands, the program allows landowners to sell credits and generate revenue.

This income can also be reinvested into further conservation efforts, providing financial support for long-term land stewardship with the added bonus of decreasing carbon footprints. Ideally in the future, such programs will allow landowners to generate passive revenue from carbon credits while protecting ecosystems and helping countries to meet climate change goals.

Flood and Erosion Management

Conservation easements can also provide a way to help manage urban flooding and erosion by protecting:

• Streams
• Wetlands
• Floodplains

These areas act as natural sponges, absorbing excess water and reducing runoff to prevent downstream flooding. By conserving them, we ensure they continue providing this vital service indefinitely. Conservation easements can also be used to protect riverbanks and shorelines, help reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, and stabilize the landscape to safeguard communities.

Protecting Watersheds and Ensuring Water Quality

Conservation easements are increasingly used to protect vital portions of watersheds and wetlands, which are essential for maintaining clean water supplies. These ecosystems are a critical part of our natural capital, providing valuable services like water filtration and the regulation of water flow. By conserving these areas, municipalities can ensure the long-term reliability of their water sources. Without these protections, cities may struggle to maintain water quality and prevent contamination. Conservation easements offer a proactive approach to preserving these natural assets, and are included as an EPA Best Management Practice for stormwater and watershed management. They help support both water security and the health of surrounding ecosystems.

Keeping the Soil Healthy

Conservation easements are frequently placed on working lands, such as farms and ranches, where they can complement sustainable agricultural practices and protect soil health. By safeguarding these lands, easements help to:

• Prevent soil erosion
• Reduce nutrient runoff and leaching
• Promote resiliency and sustainable agriculture

Ultimately, healthy soils lead to healthier crops, increased biodiversity, and more resilient farming systems—all of which enhance the land's long-term productivity and the value of its natural capital.

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), supported by the USDA, helps farmers and ranchers protect, restore, and enhance their land. Through the ACEP, landowners can implement conservation easements that improve soil health, water quality, and support broader environmental goals, while maintaining the long-term productivity of their farms and ranches.

The Long-Term Reach of Conservation Easements on Natural Capital

As stewards of these agreements, Unique Places to Save is dedicated to help ensure the potential for the ongoing flow of nature's benefits, including:

• Biodiversity
• Carbon sequestration
• Flood and erosion control
• Water quality
• Soil health, and more

Our focus is on long-term sustainability, not just the immediate impact. We understand that natural capital must be protected and invested in for the potential of future payoffs.

If you’re curious about conservation easements or want to learn how you can help preserve natural capital, reach out to us. Together, we can protect the places that matter most.

Unique Places to Save specializes in establishing and managing conservation easements, helping developers protect vital natural areas while still meeting their project goals. Our team guides developers through the process, ensuring the land remains conserved for future generations—all while adding potential value to developments. Whether it’s safeguarding forests, wetlands, or open spaces, we’re here to make conservation a win-win for everyone.