Conservation Agreements

Conservation agreements include any formal or informal understanding between two or more parties in which the parties obligate themselves to take certain actions, refrain from certain actions, or transfer certain rights and responsibilities to achieve agreed upon conservation goals. Conservation agreements can be entered into by governments, communities, private entities, and private individuals.

Several sample agreements can be downloaded from the Sample Documents section of this toolkit.

Formal Conservation Agreements

Formal conservation agreements include lease and ownership agreements, which are the focus of this toolkit. Formal conservation agreements are often used when parties to the agreements have explicit legal ownership or rights to lands and resources within ocean and coastal waters.

Informal Conservation Agreements

Informal conservation agreements include conservation incentives and performance payments, among others. Informal conservation agreements are most appropriate in areas where formal conservation agreements are not desirable or not possible for a variety of reasons. Informal conservation agreements are often entered into when parties to the agreements hold implied customary, traditional, or cultural rights and responsibilities to lands and resources within ocean and coastal waters.