Connecting people to nature has never been more important.
Big or small, Florida land trusts increasingly are meeting the needs of their communities through partnerships, engagement and outreach.
That’s about 1,450,156 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.
Florida land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.
11,073
1,364
83
15
67
58 years old (1964)
16 years old (2006)
33 years old
Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Florida lands, waters and ways of life.
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.
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.
Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Florida's most pressing issues.
Providing access to land for all: The accredited North Florida Land Trust paid tribute to MaVynee Betsch, an environmental advocate known as “The Beach Lady” for her efforts to protect Amelia Island’s American Beach. Betsch dedicated the last 25 years of her life to preserving American Beach and the Little NaNa Dune system, an important habitat for gopher tortoises and migrating birds. To honor Betsch’s legacy, NFLT purchased three parcels of land in the Little NaNa Dune system on what would have been her 86th birthday
Read moreEnsuring clean drinking water: The accredited Alachua Conservation Trust created the Surface to Springs RCPP Project, which focuses on the Suwannee and Santa Fe watersheds. ACT and its partners work with private property owners to: protect working farms, timberlands and natural areas through private land protection efforts; provide increased technical assistance to landowners while focusing on protecting the region’s springs and aquifer; and connect landowners with the tools and resources to move forward with the best management, enhancement, and restoration strategies for the region.
Read moreProtecting land for future generations: The accredited conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast manages the Bay Preserve at Osprey on Florida’s Little Sarasota Bay. The location is a true community park shared by many, from picnickers to kayakers, fishermen to rowing teams, and from children playing in the “nature playground” to adults playing bocce ball. The preserve includes the Burrows-Matson House, a historic home named for its prior owners, both of whom conserved their land for future generations.
Read moreLand Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.