Meaningful Incentives for Landscape and Species Conservation on Private Lands Tom H. Logan Peninsular Florida LCC – Steering Committee August 21, 2012

Conservation on Private Lands Do they play a role in landscape/wildlife conservation? What makes it possible?

Who Has The Answer? The landowners have the best answers. Interviewed 10 landowners – south/north. Crops, livestock and timber. Ownerships well exceed a million acres. Meaningful incentives for conserving landscapes and species on your lands?

Landowners/Land Ownership Land managers by choice and philosophy. Understand, appreciate and know how to produce products of the land. Plants, wildlife & water are products of the land. Land ownership is an economic investment. Management costs versus return. Conservation has an associated cost and value.

Conservation Examples – Ecosystems Services Natural area and linkages preservation. Wildlife habitat and species preservation. Species recovery. Fresh water storage, storm water management, water quality enhancement, phosphorous removal, ground water recharge. Carbon sequestration.

Other Services Transportation/utilities corridors. Public facilities (i.e. schools, hospitals, prisons). Residential, commercial, industrial – economic development. Smart planning for human needs in areas of lower conservation value.

What Makes Conservation Possible/Impossible? Uncoordinated, duplicative, excessive, unpredictable government regulation. Agencies must coordinate to improve & apply rules to make possible, facilitate, reward conservation that is achievable under existing laws. Focus on the achievable with reward rather than individual loss with penalty.

What Is Possible? Conservation presently is occurring and substantially more is possible. Concern for consequence of success. Conservation opportunity must add value! Ecosystems Services must be compensated. Services layering to increase conservation gain and reduce management costs.

Incentives/Compensation Economic Value! Regulatory assurance/certainty. Fee payment for services. Credits for use and/or sale. Presumption of compliance – BMPs. Safe harbor protection. Compensation for ongoing activities to assure continuation and support of new services. Tax relief. Layering of services. Other use authorizations for ecosystems services.

Other Considerations Fee title acquisition. Easements. Non-permanent agreements: –Flexible –Allow evaluation and modification –Add - remove layers as needed –Adaptive management as landscapes change –Can be long term –Greater benefits above baselines Limited interest in conservation banks, etc.

Delivery Considerations Compensation must be science based and measurable. Collaborative across stakeholder/agency lines. Must be repeatable, fair and equally available to all dependent upon different landowner circumstances, interests, business models. Conservation is achievable & cost effective on Private Lands, especially where healthy systems have been preserved.

QUESTIONS? Tom H. Logan, Vice President Breedlove, Dennis & Associates, Inc. Phone: Cell: