Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
University at Buffalo School of Law
Conservation easements; cost share; environmental governance; Geographic Information Systems; land trusts; privacy; private-land conservation; tax incentive; transparency
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Law
Public Access To Spatial Data On Private-Land Conservation, Jessica Owley
Public Access To Spatial Data On Private-Land Conservation, Jessica Owley
Journal Articles
Information is critical for environmental governance. The rise of digital mapping has the potential to advance private-land conservation by assisting with conservation planning, monitoring, evaluation, and accountability. However, privacy concerns from private landowners and the capacity of conservation entities can influence efforts to track spatial data. We examine public access to geospatial data on conserved private lands and the reasons data are available or unavailable. We conduct a qualitative comparative case study based on analysis of maps, documents, and interviews. We compare four conservation programs involving different conservation tools: conservation easements (the growing but incomplete National Conservation Easement Database), regulatory …