Conservation easements are a powerful tool for preserving our natural resources and protecting them for future generations. They are legal agreements between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits the development and use of the land in order to protect its conservation values
In the United States, a conservation easement is a power invested in a nonprofit organization called a land trust, or a governmental entity to restrict, as to a specified land area, the exercise of rights otherwise held by a landowner so as to achieve certain conservation purposes. It is an interest in real property established by agreement between a landowner and land trust or unit of government. The conservation easement "runs with the land", meaning it is applicable to both present and future owners of the land. The grant of conservation easement, as with any real property interest, is part of the chain of title for the property and is normally recorded in local land records.