Private Landowners, Voluntary Conservation Programs, and Implementation of Conservation Friendly Land Management Practices

Private land conservation mechanisms are critical components employed by policy makers and conservation professionals to support the stewardship and protection of vital ecosystem services. While most research on voluntary conservation programs focuses on motives and barriers to participation, little is known about landowner activities and ecological status once property is enrolled in programs. Our mailed survey to landowners with property enrolled in the Indiana Classified Forest and Wildlands Program in U.S.A. revealed that (1) environmental motives, (2) residential motives like family life, and (3) having more land enrolled in the program were strong predictors of individuals who implemented conservation actions such as removal of invasive species and control of erosion. We also found that landowners witnessing environmental improvements on their land reported more conservation actions than those perceiving unchanged environmental conditions. A better understanding of landowner perceptions and conservation outcomes can help policy makers improve private land conservation programs.

[1]  Richard Margoluis,et al.  Adaptive management: A tool for conservation practitioners , 2001 .

[2]  B. Butler,et al.  Factors associated with landowner involvement in forest conservation programs in the U.S.: Implications for policy design and outreach , 2012 .

[3]  E. Lambin,et al.  INAUGURAL ARTICLE by a Recently Elected Academy Member:Global land use change, economic globalization, and the looming land scarcity , 2011 .

[4]  D. Norton.  Conservation Biology and Private Land: Shifting the Focus , 2000 .

[5]  John W. Tukey,et al.  Exploratory Data Analysis. , 1979 .

[6]  T. Straka,et al.  The Size of Forest Holding/Parcelization Problem in Forestry: A Literature Review , 2013 .

[7]  A. Knight,et al.  Understanding the Motivations, Satisfaction, and Retention of Landowners in Private Land Conservation Programs , 2015 .

[8]  David J. Smith,et al.  Social Capital in Biodiversity Conservation and Management , 2004 .

[9]  Sandra L. Hofferth,et al.  Social Capital in Rural and Urban Communities1 , 1998 .

[10]  Nonindustrial private forest owner use of federal income tax provisions , 2004 .

[11]  A. Finley,et al.  Timber harvesting as ongoing disturbance in a landscape of diverse ownership , 2003 .

[12]  A. Mayer,et al.  Peer Influence of Non-Industrial Private Forest Owners in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan , 2012 .

[13]  Michael G. Lacy,et al.  Adoption of conservation easements among agricultural landowners in Colorado and Wyoming: The role of economic dependence and sense of place , 2011 .

[14]  W. L. Mills,et al.  Program Participation Behavior of Nonindustrial Forest Landowners: A Probit Analysis , 1996, Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

[15]  T. Lind,et al.  Factors Influencing the Choice of Management Strategy among Small-Scale Private Forest Owners in Sweden , 2014 .

[16]  Burney Fischer,et al.  Why agree to a conservation easement? Understanding the decision of conservation easement granting , 2015 .

[17]  M. Drescher.  What is it like to take care of the land? Toward an understanding of private land conservation , 2014 .

[18]  Audrey L. Mayer,et al.  Biodiversity conservation incentive programs for privately owned forests , 2006 .

[19]  Austin Troy,et al.  The Value of New Jersey's Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital , 2006 .

[20]  V. Reyes‐García,et al.  Conservation of biodiversity in private lands: are Chilean landowners willing to keep threatened species in their lands? , 2014, Revista Chilena de Historia Natural.

[21]  A. Iles,et al.  Nurturing Diversified Farming Systems in Industrialized Countries: How Public Policy Can Contribute , 2012 .

[22]  T. Koontz,et al.  Money Talks?But to Whom? Financial Versus Nonmonetary Motivations in Land Use Decisions , 2001 .