Documenting the conservation value of easements

Abstract

Abstract Placing conservation easements on private lands could contribute greatly to biodiversity protection in the United States. However, a paucity of data prevents us from knowing to what extent this potential is met. We discuss best practices for baseline documentation reports and biodiversity surveys of properties that could help mitigate this data shortage and contribute to a national database on private land biodiversity. We then examine 49 private properties totaling 3,048 ha in Alabama and tally high priority (i.e., at‐risk) species that are recorded within this portfolio of land parcels protected by conservation easements. The number is 116 species in total, or 38 high‐priority species per 1,000 ha. Not only is the number of these documented at‐risk species per unit area high compared to the number documented from nearby Conecuh National Forest (~38 vs. ~5 per 1,000 ha), 92 of the species recorded from the private lands have not been recorded from the much larger Conecuh National Forest (33,993 ha). This emphasizes the opportunity for well‐positioned easements to complement and be a valuable addition to large networks of public lands.

Keywords

• best practices
• biodiversity surveys
• easements
• threatened and endangered species