Hisey & Olsen: Collaborative Management on the Eastern Slopes
In Collaborative Management on the Eastern Slopes: The Waldron Ranch Grazing Cooperative and Conservation Easement Motivations, Forrest Hisey (Ecology & Environmental Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University) and Jonah Olsen (Geography and Planning, University of Toronto) investigate the use of conservation easements (CEs) in rural Canada as a tool for private land conservation. The authors explore the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for such easements, including deeply rooted cultural identities among landowners and traditional economic benefits.
Conservation efforts in Canada have traditionally centered around federal government tools like protected areas or restrictive government policies. However, given the limitations of federal legal jurisdiction as it relates to privately owned lands, the authors stress the importance of creative conservation strategies like CEs. Private land conservation is a process that requires site-specific, thoughtful, and respectful engagements between landowners and environmental nongovernmental organizations (eNGOs). CEs are legal instruments that place perpetual environmental protections on a piece of land, running with the land even with new owners. The authors note that CEs are uniquely positioned for success in private land conservation efforts due to their voluntary nature and focus on attracting participation, rather than forcing protection.
In their analysis, the authors focus specifically on a CE placed on the Waldron Ranch Grazing Cooperative as part of a deal with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Waldron Ranch is a cooperative spanning over 30,000 acres and owned by 72 individual shareholders in rural Canada. Importantly, Waldron Ranch is home to a native grassland that has become endangered. The authors interviewed shareholders of Waldron Ranch, finding that while there were initial fears among shareholders about losing control of their land to outsiders, those fears were unfounded.
As discussions about the CE progressed, shareholders became incentivized by both their intrinsic values of responsible land stewardship and the economic benefits provided by the NCC. While intrinsic motivations were present, interviewees expressed that financial assistance remained a primary motivator, emphasizing the importance of extrinsic benefits in private land conservation. Looking ahead, the authors hope that their work will inform future research and work by eNGOs to explore the drivers that motivate private landowners when considering whether to participate in conservation efforts.
