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National Conservation Easement Database

Multi–Partner Initiative Will Track and Map Voluntarily–Protected Easement Lands

Five leading conservation organizations, including NatureServe, have launched an initiative to develop the first national database of conservation easement data. The goal is to create a single, up–to–date, sustainable nationwide system for managing and accessing data about conservation easements, which ensure long–term protection of privately–owned lands.

When completed, the National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) will provide the first comprehensive picture of the estimated 40 million acres of privately–owned conservation easement lands in the United States, recognizing the important contribution they make to America’s natural heritage, a vibrant economy, and healthy communities. Designed to be voluntary and secure, the NCED will respect landowner privacy, and will not collect landowner names or sensitive information.

The NCED project team, comprising the Conservation Biology Institute, Defenders of Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, NatureServe and the Trust for Public Land, will collaborate with land trusts and public agencies to create a user–friendly, highly interactive web–based system for uploading and viewing easement data. Maps, statistics, and reports from the database will support sound planning and policy–making for conservation, natural resource management, and development.

Key partners providing support, advice, and data to the NCED include the Land Trust Alliance, representing the views of the nation’s 1,700+ land trusts, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

The NCED will be closely coordinated with a related conservation mapping effort, the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. to ensure that the data sets can be combined to provide a complete view of U.S. protected areas. NCED data will be published on several conservation websites, including LandScope America.

The NCED is an initiative of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, with additional financial support provided by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation. The Endowment’s Board recently approved a $1,000,000 investment to create the NCED. The initial database, representing all 50 states, is planned to be available in late 2011.