Across much of Canada, there have traditionally been very few options for landowners to get paid for the overall value created by land conservation. Whether it’s grassland, farmland, or a different form of natural habitat, the broader societal benefits of that land often go unrecognized. Instead, land is converted, sold, and developed for uses that have clear monetary incentives.
On this new episode of the Ag Policy Connection, we explore new and innovative approaches for conserving land, and the work that’s being done to create diverse and flexible models for monetizing that value that go beyond traditional easements and land sales.
Our guests:
- Lara Ellis, Centre for Land Conservation executive director;
- Mark Lyseng, Alberta Beef Producers’ government relations and policy lead.
Join us as we discuss innovative approaches to preserving farmland and promoting conservation and biodiversity. What will increase adoption? What are the common challenges? What’s the role for government, including if/when we see a change to a Conservative federal government in Canada?
While the U.S. government pays billions of dollars each year as part of its Conservation Reserve Program for land to be set aside, the two main options for Canadian landowners to unlock some of that value have been to a) sign a permanent conservation easement — a voluntary, mutually-agreed upon legal agreement between a landowner and an organization that values land conservation, with payment in exchange for a commitment to maintain the land in a certain state, or b) sell the land to an organization or trust that values land conservation.
As we discuss with Lara and Mark, these options work in some situations, but there are many other cases where they are not a good fit, as many landowners aren’t interested in selling or signing away future options for their land.
In some cases, improvements in technology and data-collection can be used to measure and enhance conservation efforts. Insurance programs and risk management tools, such as crop insurance and AgriStability, also play a major role in land-use decisions.
This episode is part of a 6-part series on the future of Canadian farmland and land use policy, as part of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute’s PLAN initiative. Listen to/watch the first episode in this series here!
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