LandBase and Land Trusts
LandBase is a cooperative venture set up by non-profit land conservation organizations (land trusts) which protect land and land-related natural and cultural resources. LandBase helps harness market demand for beautiful and ecologically significant wildlands and rural properties to protect rather than compromise these resources.

The website helps landowners, buyers, and real estate professionals learn more about conservation real estate. Land trusts working with landowners and brokers to protect specific properties use the LandBase 'bulletin board' to describe the land to potential buyers. Land trusts contacted through LandBase then help buyers and landowners protect natural resources during transfer of the land.

LandBase itself is non-profit and free to buyers, landowners, and brokers. A fixed annual or per-posting fee charged to subscribing land trusts covers a portion of its operating costs, with remaining funding provided by individual donations and foundation grants.

Why Conservation Real Estate and LandBase Are Important
With today's high prices for open land, protection of important natural resources has become increasingly difficult. However, conservation buyers and sellers working with land trusts can enable protection of many deserving parcels now beyond the means of the land trust to purchase directly. At the same time, buyers can purchase and enjoy unique properties which might otherwise never come on the market. Landowners can transfer their land within the private marketplace, but with the assurance that the special qualities they have treasured will continue to be safeguarded. Both sellers and buyers may be able to enjoy tax benefits from their part in the protection of the land.

Before LandBase, it was difficult for landowners, buyers, and their brokers to find out about conservation real estate. Even with assistance from land trusts (often local and with limited budgets and staff), landowners hoping to sell their land to someone who would protect it and buyers interested in buying and saving land, were dependent on word-of-mouth, land trust newsletters, and local advertising. The emergence of LandBase means conservation real estate concepts and candidate properties can be exposed to a national and international public, greatly increasing the likelihood of important properties finding qualified, informed, and committed conservation buyers.