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NRI report shows value of conservation easementsNRI report shows value of conservation easementshttps://www.recenter.tamu.edu/news/newstalk-texas/?Item=219862019-02-19T06:00:00Z2019-02-19T16:00:00Z

​​​​COLLEGE STATION – The Texas Land Trends project of Texas A&M’s Natural Resources Institute (NRI) has published a special report​ describing Texas landowner participation in land conservation easements and their value to agricultural production, water and wildlife.

​​About 83 percent of lands in Texas are classified as privately-owned working lands. Land-use conversion, including fragmentation, accounted for the loss of approximately 1.1 million acres of working lands in Texas between 1997 to 2012.

According to NRI director Dr. Roel Lopez, increasing population growth and development has put extra pressure on working lands, often leading to their fragmentation into smaller parcels or conversion to other land uses, such as residential development.

The amount of land fragmentation and conversion is likely to increase over the next decade as lands will likely pass to younger generations who may have less experience or lack the financial capital, motivation, or interest needed to sustain family operations, 

According to the Texas Land Trust Council, conservation easements have been an effective tool to protect around one million acres of private land in Texas. 

Texas has approximately 248,000 farm and ranch operations accounting for over 142 million acres of land use. In 2017, these agricultural operations generated about $23 billion in cash receipts and are reported to contribute over $100 billion annually to the food and fiber sector, says Lopez.

According to the latest Texas State Water Plan, the state will have a nearly nine million acre-feet water deficit by 2070.

Texas Land Trends data shows wildlife management on Texas working lands has increased by over 5.6 million acres since 1997. The interest in wildlife is also reflected in the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, showing about 104 million Americans are involved in some type of passive or active wildlife-related recreation. 

The NRI’s analysis suggests that conservation easements in Texas have the potential to provide approximately $5.8 million in total wildlife value annually.

More than 88 percent of conservation easements in the state were executed in the past two decades, indicating an increasing interest and willingness among private landowners to use conservation easements.​

AgriLife Today
Texas
Land
https://today.agrilife.org/2019/02/18/texas-land-trends-report-shows-value-of-conservation-easements-to-ag-water-wildlife/Read more at {Source}

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