Conservation Easements: The Economic Case

A fast way to protect more land for less.

Easements are voluntary, permanent agreements that limit development while keeping land in private hands. They stretch scarce dollars and deliver public value without public ownership.

Why they’re cost-smart

• Bigger impact per dollar. Easements typically cost a fraction of the cost of an outright purchase. In the Trust’s first nine easements, dollars invested were <10% of total appraised value; landowners were compensated for giving up development rights, generally <40% of the outright purchase value.

• Stay on the tax rolls. Conserved lands continue contributing to local revenues.

• Keep working lands working. Farms and forests continue to produce food, fiber, and jobs.

• Lower long-term public costs. Conserved land demands fewer services (roads, sewer, emergency response) and reduces flood/stormwater expenses.

• Lift nearby home values. A Greenville study found homes next to parks/open space sold for ~6.5% more—benefits that ripple through the tax base.

“Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner

who conserves the public interest.” —Aldo Leopold, 1934

References: Leopold (1934); Espey & Owusu-Edusei (Greenville, 2017).