From Land to Sea: The Role of Land Trusts in Marine Protection

Many policymakers conclude that marine conservation strategies are limited when compared to land protection tools. Limitations are described as resulting from institutional differences between land and sea resources such as the lack of private ownership in the sea, and differences in physical characteristics such as the fluid nature of marine resources. Despite these differences, some trends in land protection are relevant for marine protection, such as the increased role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This article examines how marine protection strategies develop from an NGO's terrestrial experience. I researched marine conservation tools used by three land trusts and point out limitations and opportunities related to their use. Tools these organizations have adapted from their land protection experience are management partnerships, acquisition, strategic planning, zoning, and database development. The extent to which these organizations use previous land experience for marine conservation may depend on geographic location and on institutional and organizational characteristics.