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Conservation Easement Services for Landowners

Your land tells a story—of work, stewardship, and long-term vision. Through conservation easements in Florida and beyond, we work alongside you to protect its ecological value and carry it forward for future generations.

Protecting The Land You Love with Conservation Easements

Conservation easements keep land working as intended. They allow landowners to safeguard agricultural practices, wildlife habitats, or open space use without giving up ownership or day-to-day control. By reducing development pressure and reinforcing long-term stewardship, this forward-thinking approach enables generational land use, reduces tax exposure, and supports clearer ownership transitions.
Take the First Step Toward Preserving Your Land

What is a Conservation Easement?

A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and a qualified organization—often a land trust or government agency—that places permanent limits on certain uses of the land. With this agreement in place, you retain ownership and the ability to sell or transfer your land while ensuring its preservation stays true to your vision. 

Our team advises landowners through the full easement process, drawing on deep experience across land use, agriculture, and conservation. Our role is to provide clarity, helping you evaluate options, understand implications, and determine whether an easement aligns with your long-term objectives.

Explore Your Land’s Conservation Potential

Why Choose a Conservation Easement?

  • Preserve What Matters Most: Retain control over how your land is used—now and in the future. An easement can prevent development that would compromise agricultural productivity, wildlife habitat, or ecological systems.
  • Financial Incentives: By placing an easement on your property, you may benefit from potential federal income tax deductions, reduced estate taxes, and property tax benefits that help secure your financial future. 
  • Legacy Planning: Let your land be a true reflection of your values and vision, benefiting future generations.
  • Flexibility: Easements can be tailored to your land needs. Most allow continued farming, ranching, timber management, and recreational use, balancing protection with ongoing stewardship.

Dean Saunders: A Visionary for Land Conservation

Dean Saunders, Founder and Managing Director of Saunders Land, is more than a seasoned land expert—he’s a decades-long steward of Florida’s natural heritage. Throughout his extensive career, Dean has been a passionate advocate for conservation easements, championing their ability to protect natural resources while honoring how land is owned, worked, and passed on.


Dean’s involvement in conservation goes beyond transactions; it’s personal. Growing up surrounded by Florida’s diverse landscapes, he developed a profound respect for the delicate balance between preservation and progress. As a former State Representative, Dean played an instrumental role in shaping legislation that supports landowners and conservation initiatives. He authored the landmark Florida Conservation Easement Act, providing critical protections and land preservation incentives. 


Dean’s leadership in conservation drives our mission to empower landowners with the tools and knowledge they need to protect their properties and achieve their goals. For Dean, conservation easements are the ultimate expression of the belief that “Land is more than a commodity; it’s a legacy.”

Connect with Dean

FREE E-BOOK

Conservation Easements

Landowner Guide: Pathway to Conservation

Written by Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM
This guide offers practical insight into Florida conservation easements and landowner rights, addressing common questions and considerations involved in long-term land planning.
Request a Digital Copy

Areas We Serve

  • Florida land presents a complex mix of opportunity and pressure. Saunders Land works extensively with agricultural acreage—citrus groves, cattle operations, and row crops—as well as wetlands, waterfront property, and large conservation tracts facing development interest. Our experience navigating Florida’s conservation programs and tax incentives helps landowners assess easement potential alongside land use priorities, estate planning considerations, and evolving development pressures.

    Connect with a Florida Advisor

  • In Georgia, conservation easements frequently intersect with timberland and recreational properties used for hunting, fishing, and family retreats. Many tracts sit near expanding metro corridors, where suburban growth can alter land value and future use. Saunders Land advises landowners on structuring easements that limit unwanted expansion while maintaining working forests, recreation, and the ownership priorities that guide the future of the property.

    Connect with a Georgia Advisor

  • Arkansas offers emerging conservation opportunities across agricultural land, riverfront acreage, wetlands, and recreational tracts. With growing interest in land protection and fewer market precedents in some regions, careful evaluation is essential. Saunders Land brings regional insight to help landowners weigh conservation potential, market conditions, and long-term planning considerations.

    Connect with an Arkansas Advisor

  • North Carolina’s land ranges from mountain timberland to coastal farmland and wildlife habitat, often located near rapidly growing metropolitan areas. Conservation easements can play a critical role in managing development pressure while allowing continued agricultural or recreational use. Saunders Land helps landowners evaluate easement structure in relation to land function, location, and long-term ownership strategy.

    Connect with a North Carolina Advisor

  • In Alabama, Saunders Land works with timberland, hunting tracts, riverfront acreage, and agricultural land tied to multi-generational ownership. Many properties face increasing development interest, making conservation planning an important consideration. Our team helps landowners assess easement benefits, qualified tax considerations, and the lasting impact on how the land can be used and protected.

    Connect with an Alabama Advisor

Land Property Types and Specializations

Conservation easements are structured around the land itself and the uses that continue to define it. Allowable activities—from working agriculture to timber management or recreation—are outlined in each agreement to protect conservation value while supporting responsible land stewardship.

  • Agricultural Land Easements — These properties often include working farms, citrus groves, cattle ranches, and cropland, where conservation easements support continued agricultural production while guiding future development and land use.
  • Timberland Easements — Managed forests carry production, investment, and recreational value.  Timberland easements typically allow continued forestry operations while establishing parameters that protect forest health and long-term conservation goals.
  • Easements for Wetlands and Waterfront Property — Sensitive ecosystems and shoreline tracts require careful coordination between conservation priorities and permitted land uses, often balancing habitat protection with limited access, restoration efforts, or traditional land activities.
  • Easements for Recreational Land — Hunting properties, fishing tracts, and family retreats can remain active recreational landscapes under easement, with agreements designed to allow continued outdoor use while guiding development and land management. 
  • Environmentally Sensitive Tracts — Land with ecological significance may benefit from easements that simultaneously prioritize habitat protection and define allowable activities consistent with environmental stewardship and responsible land management.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that limits certain types of development to sustain long-term land conservation. Ownership remains with you, and approved uses—such as farming, ranching, or recreation—may continue under the terms of the easement.

  • Most conservation easements are perpetual. They remain in effect indefinitely and apply to all future owners.

  • Yes. When land is sold or inherited, the easement stays attached to the deed. Future owners must follow the same restrictions.

  • Easements are intended to be permanent. In rare circumstances, modification or termination requires court approval and proof that the easement no longer serves its conservation purpose.

  • Impact varies based on location, development potential, and easement terms. Although unrestricted market value may change, tax benefits and estate planning advantages often offset that impact.

  • Violations may result in enforcement action by the easement holder, including legal remedies, restoration requirements, or financial penalties.

  • That depends on the specific agreement. Some easements allow limited construction for agricultural or residential use; others restrict new structures entirely.

Explore How A Conservation Easement May Benefit You

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