National Conservation Easement Database

The National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) is the most comprehensive database for managing and sharing information on conservation easements throughout the U.S. More than 201,000 easements protecting more than 33.5 million acres have been recorded, helping diverse organizations and agencies identify opportunities, determine priorities, and maximize conservation outcomes. Access this centralized database will improve forest and natural resource planning and  reduce the chance of duplicative and expensive land conservation expenditures.

NCED allows a visual presentation of the location, size, and shape of easements across the country.  It also improves transparency of easement transactions and enhances accountability regarding easements on private land, all of which involve public funding in the form of grants or tax credits.

NCED was conceived by the Endowment. Several funding partners helped make NCED possible, including: the Donnelley, Graham, Dodge, and Knobloch Foundations; USDA Forest Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Department of Defense; and U.S. Geological Survey.  NCED was created by a team that included the Conservation Biology Institute, Defenders of Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, NatureServe, and The Trust for Public Land. NCED is maintained by The Trust for Public Land and Ducks Unlimited.