Skip to main content
Donate
  • COVID-19
  • What We Dotrigger
    DonateBack
    • Our Strategytrigger
      DonateBack
      • Relevance
      • Rate
      • Rigor
      • Resilience
  • What You Can Dotrigger
    DonateBack
    • Conserve Your Landtrigger
      DonateBack
      • Getting Started
      • Conservation Options
      • Benefits for Landowners
      • Questions?
  • Issues & Actiontrigger
    DonateBack
    • Take Actiontrigger
      DonateBack
      • Advocacy Webinars
      • Ambassadors
      • Tax Incentives
    • Issues
    • Tools & Tipstrigger
      DonateBack
      • Politics: What’s Allowed?
      • Connect with Congress
      • Social Media for Advocacy
      • 10 Ways to Say Thank You
      • Media Outreach for Advocacy
      • Advocacy Days
    • Success Stories
  • For Land Truststrigger
    DonateBack
    • Topicstrigger
      DonateBack
      • Accreditation
      • Attorneys
      • Boards
      • Climate Change
      • Collaboration
      • Communications
      • Community Conservation
      • Conservation Defense
      • Economic Benefits
      • Federal Programs
      • Fundraising
      • Insurance
      • Land Trust Standards and Practices
      • Stewardship
      • Strategic Conservation
      • Taxes
      • The Learning Center
      • Field Services
    • Resourcestrigger
      DonateBack
      • Articles
      • Conferences
      • Express Learning Kits
      • Publications
      • Success Stories
      • Webinars
      • The Learning Center
      • Field Services
    • Membershipstrigger
      DonateBack
      • The Learning Center
      • Field Services
  • Membershiptrigger
    DonateBack
    • Land Trust Members
    • Land Trust Memberstrigger
      DonateBack
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Affiliates
    • Affiliates
    • Our Top Ten
  • Givingtrigger
    DonateBack
    • Individual Supporterstrigger
      DonateBack
      • Guardians of the Land Society
      • President’s Circle
      • Monthly Giving
      • Planned Giving
    • Corporate Circle
  • Blog
  • The Learning Center
  • Jobs
  • Experts
  • Abouttrigger
    DonateBack
    • Strategic Plan
    • Land Trust Alliance Jobs
    • Historytrigger
      DonateBack
      • Summary Timeline
    • Staff Directorytrigger
      DonateBack
      • Leadership
    • Board of Directors
    • Offices
    • Saving Land Magazine
    • Annual Report
    • Charity Ratings
    • Awards Program
    • Partnerships
    • Press Releases
    • National Land Trust Census
    • Leadership Program
  • Press
  • Contact
  • The Learning Center
Home
Home Search Menu
Home
  • Blog
  • Jobs
  • Experts
  • About
  • Press
  • Contact
  • The Learning Center
  • COVID-19
  • What We Do
  • What You Can Do
  • Issues & Action
  • For Land Trusts
    • Explore Topics

      AccreditationAttorneysBoardsClimate ChangeCollaborationCommunications
      Community ConservationConservation DefenseEconomic BenefitsFederal ProgramsFundraisingInsurance
      Land Trust Standards and PracticesStewardshipStrategic ConservationTaxes
      AccreditationAttorneysBoardsClimate ChangeCollaborationCommunicationsCommunity ConservationConservation Defense
      Economic BenefitsFederal ProgramsFundraisingInsuranceLand Trust Standards and PracticesStewardshipStrategic ConservationTaxes
    • Resources and Tools

      • Articles
      • Conferences
      • Express Learning Kits
      • Publications
      • Success Stories
      • Webinars
      • The Learning Center
      • Field Services
    • Membership

      • Member benefits
      • Affiliate benefits
      • Become a member
      • Become an Affiliate
  • Membership
  • Giving
  • Donate
For Land TrustsFor Land Trusts
  • Adopt Land Trust Standards and Practices
  • Implement Land Trust Standards and Practices
  • Land Trust Standards and Practices Curriculum
  • Land Trust Standards and Practices FAQs

Land Trust Standards and Practices FAQs

More Topics

Explore Topics

AccreditationAttorneysBoardsClimate ChangeCollaborationCommunications
Community ConservationConservation DefenseEconomic BenefitsFederal ProgramsFundraisingInsurance
Land Trust Standards and PracticesStewardshipStrategic ConservationTaxes
AccreditationAttorneysBoardsClimate ChangeCollaborationCommunicationsCommunity ConservationConservation Defense
Economic BenefitsFederal ProgramsFundraisingInsuranceLand Trust Standards and PracticesStewardshipStrategic ConservationTaxes
Close

What are Land Trust Standards and Practices?

Last revised in 2017, Land Trust Standards and Practices are the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust. The Standards set 12 broad principles or standards. These standards are broken down into 59 practices and 188 practice elements, which describe the essential actions needed to fulfill the standards. You can read the full document here. They exist not to protect a minimum level of performance, but to make the entire land trust community aspire to excellence and continuous improvement. 

Who uses Land Trust Standards and Practices?

Land Trust Alliance member land trusts must adopt the Standards — meaning that they affirm these guidelines in principle and commit to putting them into effect.

How do land trusts benefit from the implementation of Land Trust Standards and Practices?

Land trusts that commit to these best practices know that for land conservation to succeed over the long term, we need to secure the public’s confidence and support. All land trusts must demonstrate effectiveness and credibility — otherwise the ones that fall short could undermine the whole conservation movement. 

Who benefits from Land Trust Standards and Practices?

The public, which benefits from more effective and efficient land trusts; the entire land trust community, which benefits from a commitment across the sector to excellence and continuous improvement; and individual land trusts, which commit to pursuing continuous improvement.

What is the relationship between accreditation and Land Trust Standards and Practices?

To earn accreditation, a land trust must demonstrate that it has implemented the Standards with a thorough verification of the accreditation indicator practices drawn from the Standards. Check out this infographic that explains how standards, practices, elements, accreditation indicators (adopted by the Alliance) and accreditation requirements (adopted by the Commission) fit together to build strong land trusts.

Who developed Land Trust Standards and Practices?

The Land Trust Alliance developed the Standards in 1989 at the urging of land trust practitioners who believed a strong land trust community depends on the credibility and effectiveness of all of its members and who understand that employing best practices is the surest way to lasting conservation.

How often are Land Trust Standards and Practices revised?

With the participation of the land trust community, the Alliance revised the Standards in 1993, 2001, 2004 and 2017 to reflect changes in land trust practices and regulations governing nonprofit organizations.

The Alliance, in partnership with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and the land trust community, is continually assessing the Standards against the work that land trusts do and the challenges and opportunities they face. We anticipate that the next full revisions process will not occur for at least another several years.

Additional Questions

If you have additional questions, please contact Sylvia Bates, Director of Standards & Educational Services, at sbates@lta.org or call 603-708-1073.

Download Available

Land Trust Standards and Practices are the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust — and a collective product of the land trust community. Download the 2017 Land Trust Standards and Practices

The download is also available en español and en français

To print: Please use Internet Explorer or Chrome.

Resources and Tools

Webinar

Drafting Current Conditions Reports

Baselines are critical to ensuring what you protected stays protected. However, what do you do if your land trust has baselines that are insufficient or even worse don’t exist at all? Join stewardship experts Toby Jacobs and Heather Jobst as they discuss their land trusts’ two very different approaches to filling in the gaps in their portfolios.

February 23, 2021
Time: 
2 p.m. ET
Instructor(s): 
Toby Jacobs
Heather Jobst

Webinar

The Americans with Disability Act: What It Means for Land Trusts

Increasing accessibility of natural areas and online is an important endeavor, but not always easy to navigate. Join conservation attorneys Rachel Hampton, The Nature Conservancy, and Ray Lyons, as they discuss how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to nature preserves, conservation easement properties, websites and social media.

February 03, 2021
Time: 
2 p.m. ET
Instructor(s): 
Rachel Hampton
Ray Lyons

Join Us

Together we will advance change and increase impact for land conservation.
Donate Renew Join

Count on Us

The Land Trust Alliance makes careful use of your support.

View our charity ratingsCharity Navigator: Four Star CharityBetter Business Bureau: Accredited Charity

Stay Informed

Get our e-newsletter filled with tips and info about the places you love.

Connect with Us

Land Trust Alliance
1250 H Street NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
info@lta.org
202-638-4725

FacebookTwitterLinkedinYoutubeInstagramBlog RSS
© Copyright 2021 Land Trust Alliance
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • En Español