The Value of Land Conservation Toolkit

Have you ever wanted better information so you could communicate the values of nature and convince your local leaders of the importance of protecting land? Cost of community services studies have given many municipalities a way to directly calculate the economic value of open space and working lands. But land conservation also provides less quantifiable community benefits, such as better air quality, stormwater management and health perks from outdoor recreation. Recognizing this, the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition developed a free toolkit, The Value of Land Conservation, which captures a fuller picture of conservation’s worth. Although the materials (including a research report and PowerPoint presentation) are geared toward Massachusetts, the coalition made them available for anyone who wants to adapt them to advocate for land conservation in their community.