Conservation development

Conservation development was formulated in the early 1980s by a British-trained planner Randall Arendt. He pulled together several concepts from the 1960s. He combined the idea of cluster and open space design with Ian McHarg's "design with nature" philosophy.[6]

Conservation development seeks to protect a variety of ecological resources and services such as biodiversity, productive farmland, ecosystem services, scenic landscapes and historic and cultural resources.[5] This is achieved by identifying the ecologically sensitive and valuable areas. The protected lands can be under an easement to prevent development on it. Housing is then built around the protected areas. Density, lots sizes, types of housing and amount of protected area is dependent on the type of conservation development.

While not a prevalent type of development, it's estimated that conservation development takes up between 2.5%-10% of the total US real estate development.[5] Conservation development is usually applied to rural, exurban or suburban residential subdivisions, though it does have a few urban applications (Doyle 4).

While there are several types of conservation developments, they all have several features in common.[5] All developments have conservation land set aside, either held by a conservation organization or protected by a conservation easement. These developments must have ongoing stewardship for the protected portion of the parcel.[3] Secondly, the development finances the protected area. Third, each development begins by surveying the land's ecological features and resources. A decision can then be made about where to build and what areas need to be protected. Lastly, these developments also use a variety of design features to reduce some of the negative impacts inherent in development. Examples include low-impact stormwater management systems, and landscape design.

Milder cites four principal conservation development techniques found in the United States.[5] The first two he groups together as having a "conservation with development" philosophy. Conservation is the main goal with development as a means to that end. The latter two types fall under the "development with conservation" ethos. These two types of projects are done through private developers whose goal is to turn a profit at the end of the day, but in a "conservation-friendly matter".[5] Table 1 provides an excellent summary of the different conservation development techniques.

This map of Santa Lucia Preserve, a conservation community in California, depicts which portions are protected by conservation covenants.

A conservation community (or conservation development) is a real estate and conservation hybrid model of land development, consisting of both protected areas and human settlements, with the primary goal of saving large parcels of land from ecological degradation.[8] This land can be forested land, agricultural land, ranch land, or any other type of land that needs protecting from high-impact development. This model is contrasted from other protected area models by integrating human communities within nature, rather than relocating them outside, and as such falls under the IUCN's Category V protected area designation.

The model represents an integral balance between people and nature and can sustain for-profit activity such as residential communities, private clubs, or small-scale industrial activity on conditions that ensure the continued protection or ecological restoration of an area.[9]

Conservation communities are models of sustainable community development, providing an alternative to conventional forms of development.[10] They are adaptable to the needs of different regions and they use small-scale residential development to fund conservation, eliminating the need to solely depend on funding from private donors or governments, though they are sometimes additionally subsidized by such investments. This land development model is important to the Environmental movement's goals of sustainable development, Green homebuilding, local food security, and responsible management of natural resources.

Some of the tools used to create conservation communities are conservation covenants, ecoforestry covenants, and other forms of covenant registered to the title of the land. Covenants are a legal contract used to protect the integrity of ecosystem, the ecological health of watersheds (which are damaged by increased development),[11] maintain long-term access to natural resources and associated value-added opportunities, protect native plant and animal species, and prevent climate change impacts.

In an effort to avoid greenwashing and in order to increase accountability and public transparency, some conservation communities establish separate federally registered charities or 501(c)(3) non-profit land trusts, which own the land in fee and extend conservation easements to developers and private homeowners. This way, the incentive structure ensures real estate developers stay true to the mission of conservation, with the land trust vested with authority to investigate, report, and penalize infractions.

Conservation communities are developed not only to minimize their ecological footprint, but also to improve (or at least does not diminish) the existing ecological system's performance. The planning stage for the residential community focuses around maintaining and enhancing the ecological integrity of the land. The community, therefore, sits on the least sensitive part of the land from an ecological point of view, and is often built using low-impact infrastructure such as Nature-based Solutions for the civil engineering and LEED-targeted housing. To further reduce broader environmental impact, many conservation communities (whether in whole or in part) generate their own power, pump their own water, and grow food on-site.

The biggest advantage of conservation development is that it can protect species and ecosystems, preventing further habitat fragmentation and loss. By surveying the land and identifying the primary conservation areas where ecosystems are most at risk, communities are created without huge disruption to the environment.[3][6] Conservation development also provides for secondary conservation areas, which provide corridors for animals to hunt, mate and travel through.[1]

However, any development will have some impact on the land. But by studying it, there are ways in which this can be mitigated. A developer can have native vegetation planted. Wildlife friendly native species could be introduced,[5] while invasive species are monitored and controlled.[3] Stormwater management systems are also used to "promote natural flow patterns and infiltration", considered a very important factor in minimizing a development's impact.[5]

There are several benefits from an economic standpoint. Conservation development allows developers to make themselves distinct in a competitive housing market.[3] A developer can use an environmentally oriented marketing strategy, highlighting the benefits of the development to possible buyer with a green thumb.[1] A final advantage of conservation development is that homes in these developments tend appreciate faster than their conventional counterparts.[1][6]

Pejchar et al. and Arendt cite a number of economic benefits that accrue to municipalities through conservation development. They include fewer public costs on maintenance and infrastructure, protecting open space without losing tax revenues, and avoiding the loss of ecological services like landscape stabilization, flood control and clean water.[3][1] A municipality also experiences a reduced demand for public green space since it has been provided free of charge by the development.[1]

Lastly, there are a few social and recreational advantages to conservation development.[1] With the smaller lots that accompany these houses, homeowners are likely to move into public green space and engage with their neighbors. Community events such as picnics or parties are more common. The protected green space also provides excellent recreational activities, such as hiking, jogging, or simply observing nature. It's hopeful that with this experience, people can reconnect with nature and develop a land ethic.[6]

There are several drawbacks to conservation development. The first problem encountered is the perceived risk by both developers and homebuyers.[3] In protecting sensitive areas, developers and homeowners see a risk in the possible elimination of desired sites to build homes. This might be a large enough risk to discourage developers. This could be a place for government intervention, which could provide tax breaks to developers building a development this way.

Conservation subdivisions and conservation-oriented planned development projects have been "criticized for protecting land at too small a scale to provide meaningful conservation benefits, while simultaneously promoting "leapfrog" development".[5] This pushes sprawl further from the city and contributes to a more fragmented rural area.

This type of planning has become more relevant as "land conversion for housing development is a leading cause of habitat loss and fragmentation".[3] With a loss or fragmentation of a species' habitat, it results in the endangerment of a species and pushes them towards premature extinction.[4] Without biodiversity, we lose the many benefits we derive from it, including economic and ecological services, genetic information, and recreational pleasure, just to name a few.[4] Land conversion also contributes to the reduction of agriculturally productive land,[5] already shrinking due to climate change.

• Community-based conservation
• Conservation community
• Environmental planning
• Land trust
• Low impact development
• Preservation development (farmland preservation)
• Private protected area
• Protected area
• Residential cluster development
• Smart growth

• "Green Neighborhoods: Open Space Residential Design in Massachusetts" - Massachusetts Audubon Society
• "Growing Greener." Case Studies in Pennsylvania. - Natural Lands Trust, Media, PA