Counting what matters: Stories from the 2020 National Land Trust Census
iYou may have heard the saying, “No numbers without stories and no stories without numbers.” Since 1981, that sound piece of communications advice has been a guiding principle behind the National Land Trust Census, the nation’s longest-running survey of private land conservation. Every five years, the Land Trust Alliance queries its members for key metrics about their work, including staffing levels, acres protected, types of land protected and community engagement. Some 565 land trusts responded to the 2020 Census, providing a window into a growing conservation movement that is well-established, yet adapting in the face of profound ecological and social change.
The raw numbers are impressive — 61 million acres protected (more than all national parks combined) and 16.7 million visitors to land trust properties in 2020. Dive deeper and you sense a rising tidal wave of change: Land trusts across the nation are harnessing the power of conservation to address the social challenges of their communities, from inequity to health problems to disaster preparedness.
“The 2020 Census shows that land trusts big and small are increasing their community work — through partnerships, engagement and outreach — and increasing their focus on climate change,” says Katie Chang, senior manager of educational services at the Alliance. This shift does not come at the expense of land protection, but rather in tandem with it, and it isn’t limited to large national and regional conservation groups. In fact, local land trusts are leading the way forward — 70% of the growth in land protected since 2015 was achieved by local and state land trusts.
Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves, and their stories — at least one for every acre saved — make a compelling case for private land conservation and for land trusts as enduring, committed community institutions. No matter how you look at it, the land trust community is gaining ground and is well-equipped to achieve the 30x30 goal. Protecting land and connecting people to nature has never been more necessary or more powerful.