An Ecologically-Based Evaluation of

Conservation and Limited Development Projects

Abstract (Executive Summary)                                                                                                                                 

 

Conservation and limited development projects (CLDPs) conducted or facilitated by land trusts use revenue from limited environmentally sensitive land development to help finance land conservation.  Proponents of this approach believe that CLDPs can help protect natural resources, increase the capacity of the land conservation movement, and promote more environmentally compatible and locally acceptable development patterns.  Critics, however, question whether these projects provide meaningful conservation benefits and whether they deserve the public subsidies they often receive.  To date, there has been little objective study of CLDPs to help inform the current debate over their relative merit and appropriate role in land conservation.  My research seeks to fill this gap by evaluating the effectiveness and limitations of CLDPs as a conservation strategy in the United States. 

 

Given the lack of prior work on CLDPs, I first conducted a nationwide survey of CLDPs to understand their essential characteristics and their variability.  Based on this initial survey, I selected ten representative projects to study in greater detail.  Using a multiple case study method based on quantitative as well as qualitative data and methods, I examined the following three questions: First, how well do CLDPs meet conservation goals?  Second, how cost-effective are they relative to other land protection methods?  And, third, how are they perceived by land trust members, local communities, and other stakeholders?

 

To measure conservation effectiveness, I developed an ecologically-based system for project evaluation.  This method uses ten indicators, based on the ecological literature, to assess: (a) the rarity, integrity, and threat status of conservation resources on each CLDP site; (b) project impacts to terrestrial habitats, aquatic habitats, and site-specific conservation targets; and (c) positive contributions to ecological conservation from habitat restoration and land management.  Indicators are weighted and summed to arrive at composite project scores that can be used to evaluate individual projects as well as CLDPs as a conservation strategy.  To answer the other two research questions, I conducted interviews with CLDP proponents and other stakeholders, and reviewed project documentation.  

 

Based on the ten representative projects included in this study, I draw the following conclusions:

  • CLDPs are protecting unique and threatened conservation resources, including rare species and ecological communities.
  • CLDPs can do a much better job at protecting land and unfragmented natural habitat than other forms of so-called green development, such as conservation subdivisions, and in many instances nearly as good a job as full protection projects.
  • Many CLDPs are contributing to the restoration and management of natural habitats, a benefit often neglected in conventional conservation projects.
  • CLDPs are generally a cost-effective conservation strategy, and in many cases have spurred conservationists to pursue bolder, more creative approaches.
  • Notwithstanding the concerns of some conservationists, CLDPs are generally well perceived by relevant stakeholders.

 

These conclusions suggest that the conservation community should embrace CLDPs as a useful strategy in the land protection arsenal.  As with any strategy, individual projects have the potential to vary in quality, so CLDPs must be planned and evaluated in accordance with objective criteria, such as the ecologically-based methods presented in this study.

 

This Abstract is an except from the following document:

Milder, Jeffrey C. 2005. An Ecologically-Based Evaluation of Conservation and Limited Development Projects. Master’s Thesis. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

 

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