Regional and Global Conservation Biology

Regional and Global Conservation Biology 1
REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
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Regional and Global Conservation Biology 2
Regional and Global Conservation Biology
Question 1
Some of the hidden costs of acquiring land for conservation include the following: survey
cost, appraisal and inspect cost, baseline documentation costs, environmental assessment cost
(including soil test costs and costs incurred to prepare relevant engineering reports), title fees
(title search cost and title insurance cost), settlement cost, legal fees, escrow fees, local transfer
fees, recording fees, permits, costs associated with providing the required notices to the adjoining
landowners and utilities costs (the cost of connecting and maintaining various utilities that are
needed for the conservation activities on the land such as water, sewerage, electricity, fire
control, telephone, etc.) (ConservationTolls.org, (n.d.)). These costs vary depending on the size
and location of the land to be purchased and the applicable local land laws.
Besides cost, the three most other important factors to consider when acquiring land for
conservation are: type of development/activities allowed on the land such as agricultural,
property development, recreational, etc. (this should be established from zoning and restrictions
plans of the areas) (Brown, 2014); rights of the landowner (such as public access or trespassing
rights and the right to resale the land at any given time) and tax credits (financial benefits for
land conservation such as federal tax incentives) (Kulp, 2016).
Question 2
Land conservation is very important in protecting the environment particularly native
animals and plants. This can only be achieved through joint efforts by private individual
landowners, private organizations and government agencies. A conservation covenant is a
voluntary, legal agreement signed between an authorized private or public land conservation