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Gaining Ground

Arizona

2,770,331

Acres Protected

That’s about 2,098,736 football fields!

Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

Visitors to Land Trust Properties

50,030

More and more people are enjoying the benefits of nature.

Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

71%

Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

Number of People Served

2,100

Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

Miles of Trails

3

Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

Miles With Universal Access

0

Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

33%

Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

  • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

  • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

  • People who identify as LGBTQ+

  • People living with disabilities

  • Veterans

Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

  • Youth education and development

  • Community and economic development

  • Food security and agriculture

  • Health and wellness

  • Social and environmental justice

Demographics

Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

Arizona land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

Active Land Trusts

11

A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

Learn more about land trusts
Alliance Member Land Trusts

8

Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Learn about the land trust alliance
Accredited Land Trusts

3

Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

Learn about land trust accreditation

People

  • Members/financial supporters

    4,161

  • Volunteers

    549

  • Full-time staff

    30

  • Part-time staff

    12

  • Board members

    139

Land Trust Longevity

  • Oldest

    44 years old (1978)

  • Youngest

    19 years old (2003)

  • Median age

    29 years old

Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

67%

Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

33%

Land Protected

There has been an 11% increase in Arizona land protected by land trusts since 2010.

Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Arizona lands, waters and ways of life.

2010
2015
2020
Total acres protected
2,491,956
2,741,121
2,770,331
+11%
Under easement
92,435
99,140
137,419
+49%
Owned
36,409
74,099
69,216
+90%
Acquired and reconveyed
253,616
285,695
319,453
+26%
Protected by other means
2,109,496
2,226,623
2,244,242
+6%

Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

80%

Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

$1.3 billion

Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

47,700

Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

Making a Difference

Arizona land trusts are gaining ground.

Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Arizona's most pressing issues.

  • Saving family farms and ranches: The accredited Arizona Land & Water Trust has grown the conservation community, breaking barriers and forging new alliances across the state. Even with people who describe themselves as hard-headed cowboys.

    Read more

  • Conserving wildlife habitat: The accredited Central Arizona Land Trust teamed up with Camp Navajo-Arizona National Guard, the Army National Guard and Coconino County to permanently protect an important wildlife corridor for elk, pronghorn antelope and other large mammals, and ensure the long-term, compatible land uses to sustain state and national security objectives at Camp Navajo.

    Read more

Land Trusts Working in Arizona

Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Access Fund
Boulder, CO
360 acres protected in AZ
American Farmland Trust
Northampton, MA
365 acres protected in AZ
Archaeology Southwest
Tucson, AZ
567 acres protected in AZ
Arizona Land and Water Trust
Tucson, AZ
60,582 acres protected in AZ
Cascabel Conservation Association
Benson, AZ
1,553 acres protected in AZ
Central Arizona Land Trust
Prescott, AZ
4,609 acres protected in AZ
Desert Foothills Land Trust
Cave Creek, AZ
793 acres protected in AZ
Keep Conservation Foundation
Brooklyn, NY
30 acres protected in AZ
Malpai Borderlands Group
Douglas, AZ
34,000 acres protected in AZ
National Park Trust
Rockville, MD
New Mexico Land Conservancy
Santa Fe, NM
19,240 acres protected in AZ
Queen Creek Coalition
Scottsdale, AZ
100 acres protected in AZ
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Missoula, MT
5,329 acres protected in AZ
Superstition Area Land Trust
Apache Junction, AZ
90 acres protected in AZ
The Conservation Fund
Arlington, VA
974,992 acres protected in AZ
The Nature Conservancy
Arlington, VA
960,039 acres protected in AZ
The Trust for Public Land, National Office
San Francisco, CA
195,513 acres protected in AZ
Wilderness Land Trust
Bainbridge Island, WA
2,409 acres protected in AZ