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Together, land trusts have established a set of guidelines for how to run a land trust responsibly: Land Trust Standards and Practices. These guidelines describe how to operate a land trust legally, ethically and in the public interest, with a sound program of land transactions and land stewardship.
Land trusts developed the first Standards in 1989 and revised them most recently in 2016-2017. Hundreds of conservation leaders contributed to the 2017 revisions, so these guidelines represent the experience of diverse land trusts from across the country. More than 1,000 land trusts have adopted the Standards.
The Standards are a set of 12 broad principles. These standards are broken down into 59 practices and 188 practice elements, which describe the essential actions needed to fulfill the Standards.
Head to the Land Trust Alliance’s website for the most up-to-date version of Standards and Practices, and additional information about how adopt and implement the standards at your land trust.