Challenges Impacts of Development Climate Change
Strategies Land Conservation Buffers Low Impact Development Stormwater Utilities Land Use Regulations

Land Conservation

Many communities are using voluntary land conservation strategies, such as easements, to permanently protect parcels of natural land. However, since it is highly unlikely that most communities can secure sufficient funding to acquire conservation easements or ownership for all lands identified as critical for protection, it’s safe to assume that the remaining unprotected areas will face development pressure in the near future. As a result, it’s important for communities to also adopt land use regulations that provide guidance and tools to limit the impacts of development that does occur.

Resources

• Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire’s Coastal Watersheds: provides information on land conservation planning, and land use regulations: from the Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org/new hampshire, and the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, www.nhep.unh.edu
• Developing a Conservation Plan: includes information about land conservation planning: http://www.unh.edu/CommDev/CCAP.htm#CC_Pub
• Conserving your land: Options for N.H. Landowners: assists landowners with understanding options for land conservation: http://www.spnhf.org/landconservation/conserve-your-land.asp