What is a Land Trust?

A land trust is a registered charitable non-profit organization that is directly involved in helping to protect natural, scenic, agricultural and/or historic property.

While the individual goals of land trusts may differ, most land trusts share the following goals and characteristics:

• protect and manage areas of natural, cultural and historical value
  
  
• secure and protect heritage sites through conservation tools or programs to cooperate with landowners
  
  
• are non-governmental, operating for the public benefit
  
  
• are community supported through memberships, donations and volunteer involvement.

How do land trusts work?

In Canada, many volunteer-based land trusts are working to protect lands with a variety of naturally or culturally significant features and habitats.

Large areas of land are being protected through:

• acquisition
  
  
• conservation easements
  
  
• education
  
  
• promotion of good land stewardship
  
  
• working with landowners