Land trusts are good at integrating biological, recreational and other considerations in setting priorities for making purchases. Now, for the first time, it's becoming important to factor in land market dynamics as well, or well-intentioned actions may do more harm than good. |
Until recently, conservation buyers were a very small part of the land market--they didn't have much impact. But now there are over 1,500 land trusts operating in the United States, and together they can change land prices and patterns of development. |