Back to Land & Water Conservation
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One of the most common and most effective approaches to permanently protecting natural and cultural resources is through land or development rights acquisition. Arizona Land and Water Trust works closely with local, state and federal agencies, as well as private landowners and land trusts, to protect Arizona’s vanishing landscapes. The Trust helps its public and private partners achieve their specific land protection goals by providing expert negotiation, limited risk capital, legal skills and leveraged funding. This partner-driven approach enables us to act quickly and effectively to meet the Trust’s needs and our partners’ needs.
The Trust helps structure, negotiate and complete land transactions that help protect natural areas and working landscapes. We serve as an independent agent, buying land or development rights (conservation easements) from willing landowners and make landowners fully aware of conservation options by providing both the tools, information and resources to assure that landowners have the information needed to make informed decisions.
Fee Simple Acquisition
Among the most straightforward means by which to protect family lands is through fee simple acquisition. With fee simple acquisition, a landowner sells his or her rights, title and interest in the property to a conservation buyer, who then owns and manages the land.
Landowners often utilize this method of land protection because they are assured their family lands will be protected in perpetuity and they receive income from the sale of the land.
Conservation Easements
A voluntary conservation easement is a legal agreement between a willing landowner and a nonprofit land trust such as Arizona Land and Water Trust, or a government agency, that permanently limits uses of land in order to protect important values. Landowners donate or sell conservation easements to restrict development and to protect resources while retaining private ownership rights.