We are excited to share stories from ILCN members. If you have a successful conservation initiative, story, event, or webinar to share, then please contact us at ILCN@lincolninst.edu.
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New Zealand Supreme Court issues victory for private and civic land conservation
The Supreme Court of New Zealand has issued a landmark decision upholding the protection of a conserved piece of land that was threatened by development. The land in question has a QEII covenant, a type of perpetual land conservation protection that was created by the Queen Elizabeth the Second National Trust Act in 1977. While the property had been originally covenanted for conservation in  1997, the parcel had recently changed hands, and the new owner hoped that they could overturn the protections and develop the land.
However, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of New Zealand’s lower courts, the High Court and Court of Appeal, that the covenant protections prevent development on the land. The ruling confirms that the protections against development that have been placed on parcels stay with the land even after the land changes ownership. Said Paul Kirby, the QEII National Trust Acting CEO, “Today the Supreme Court has unequivocally stated that there are values beyond profit and development and that landowners who wanted to protect the land, trees, biodiversity and open space for future generations can do so with confidence in the strength of that protection.”
The Supreme Court decision provides added confidence to the 4,400 other landowners in New Zealand who have protected their land with QEII covenants, as well as other landowners considering a covenant for conservation. The land that has been protected by QEII covenants in New Zealand is home to some of the country’s most threatened plants and animals and can provide a refuge against threats to biodiversity in the region including kauri dieback disease, which has been responsible for the death of many Kauri trees, which are endemic to New Zealand.
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ILCN Advisory Council: Jofre Rodrigo
Jofre Rodrigo is the Executive Co-Director of Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori (XCT) in Catalonia. Established in 2003, XCT is composed of over 170 associations, foundations, city councils and enterprises working in the land stewardship network throughout the region. Recently, a working group under XCT coordination facilitated—for the first time in Europe— the civil code regulation of land stewardship contracts in Catalonia. Currently, the Government of Catalonia is working together with XCT to implement a public Register of Stewardship Agreements and a tax incentive framework for land stewardship.
Jofre has participated in ILCN events including the Global Congress events in Berlin and Santiago, as well as study tours with the European Private Land Conservation Network (ELCN) that the ILCN organized in Chile and in Colorado, in the United States. He is also an active member with the ELCN and is helping to plan the next Global Congress, which will take place in Europe. Jofre is from Catalonia and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Girona, as well as a Master's Degree in Advanced Studies in Foundations of Economic Analysis from the same university. Following his Master’s degree, he focused on professional environmental consultancy before taking his current position at XCT.
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Argentina holds voluntary private land conservation gathering
The 3rd Meeting of the Argentinian Network of Private Natural Reserves (RARNAP) took place from August 30-September 1, 2018. RARNAP is a network of 12 conservation organizations and 57 private natural reserves. Together, they work to integrate, strengthen and expand initiatives for voluntary conservation, the sustainable use of biodiversity, and the protection of cultural heritage on private land in Argentina through the creation and effective management of private natural reserves and the development of legal mechanisms for conservation.
More than 120 participants were present at the meeting, including national, provincial, and municipal authorities from throughout Argentina, to share experiences and strengthen the network’s governance. The event took place at the recently incorporated Reserva del Rio, a striking natural and cultural landscape along the Paraná River, and included a visit to the Osununu Reserve, a property of the Temaiken Foundation. One of the many important outcomes of the meeting was to obtain legal status for RARNAP under the direction of a new Board of Directors. More information on the meeting can be found here and here.
RARNAP is one of a number of growing Latin American networks for voluntary civic and private land conservation. They are celebrating the success of the 5th Congress of Natural Heritage Private Reserves (RPPNs) in neighboring Brazil, and will participate in the upcoming XII Latin American Congress of Private Natural Reserves from November 5-9, 2018 in Amazonas, Peru.
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Upcoming Events:
Land Trust Alliance Rally 2018
October 11-13, 2018
Pittsburgh, PA USA
"Rally is the exciting annual gathering of nearly 2,000 inspired and passionate land conservation practitioners from the US, Canada, South America and beyond, who are dedicated to conserving cherished places in local communities.Serving as the premier training and networking conference, Rally ’18 offers more than 130 educational sessions focused on land conservation topics, special networking events, field trips highlighting the region’s natural treasures, exhibits, a plenary session presentation, a Welcoming dinner and an awards presentation celebrating conservation leadership."
LTA Rally International Breakfast
Friday, October 12, 7:00 – 8:15am
Room 401/402 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA
Please join the International Land Conservation Network (ILCN), a project of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, for a breakfast with Rally participants from around the globe. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about our long-term planning for the next five years and to get up to speed regarding our land conservation efforts on six continents, our recent Global Congress in Chile, and recent scoping trip to Africa. Featured presenters at the breakfast will be members of adelegation visiting from the People’s Republic of China, who will share with us their recent efforts to expand land conservation initiatives and public awareness of land and biodiversity opportunities in their nation.
As seating is limited, please reserve your place now by contacting
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler at jsobrinhowheeler@lincolninst.edu
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Many thanks to our content contributors for this newsletter: Wendy Fernandes (Trust for Nature), Anton Gazenbeek (European Commission), Chandni Navalkha (Program Manager for Land Conservation Programs, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy) and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler (Project Coordinator for Land Conservation Programs, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy)
October 2018
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and the associated risks and returns. A project being run by Trust for Nature on behalf of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance is seeking to tackle that hurdle.
