Why agree to a conservation easement? Understanding the decision of conservation easement granting

•Importance of financial incentives in adopting conservation easements.•Comparison of landowners based on monetary and non-monetary benefits.•Comparison of absentee landowners vs. permanent residents.

In the United States, the amount of land protected by conservation easements dramatically increased between 2000 and 2010. As this mechanism for private land conservation continues to draw the attention of scientists, professionals, and policy makers, more information is needed on the landowner motivations and the variables affecting the placement of conservation easements. We surveyed landowners in the Midwest who had placed conservation easements on their properties in order to explore how nine various motive-values and exogenous variables, such as land characteristics and demographics, affected the decision to place conservation easements. The results suggested that those receiving monetary benefits from their land indicated were less likely to adopt a conservation easement without the accompanying financial incentives and did not share the same level of environmental motives as those receiving predominantly non-monetary benefits. In addition, absentee landowners appear less affected by financial incentives than those with permanent residences on or adjacent to the protected properties. Overall, our findings demonstrate the variation in motive-values of those receiving monetary vs. non-monetary benefits from their land, as well as highlight the differences in absentee vs. permanent landowners.