When conservation contracts end, does stewardship continue?

More than 60 percent of land in the United States is privately owned, making private landowners some of the most important partners in wildlife conservation, biodiversity, and ecosystem health.

Across the country, federal and state programs help landowners create and manage habitat that benefits birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. These programs often provide technical assistance, financial incentives, or both to help landowners adopt conservation practices. But an important question has remained largely unanswered: What happens after the initial commitment is made?

A new study led by Virginia Tech researchers suggests that maintaining conservation gains may be more challenging than previously understood.

The research examined habitat conditions across different stages of a conservation program and found that quality began to decline before landowners completed their agreements. Habitat condition remained at a similar level after agreements ended, indicating that the decline had already begun during the later stages of participation.

The finding challenges a common assumption that conservation efforts remain steady throughout a program and only diminish after incentives or support conclude.

“One of the big questions is whether conservation stewardship sticks with the landowner,” said Michael Sorice, associate professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. “Many programs help landowners create habitat with the hope that it will encourage long-term stewardship.”

The research was recently published in Conservation Letters.

“If we want to achieve conservation goals at meaningful scales, we need to understand what happens over the long term,” Sorice said. “Creating habitat is important but maintaining it is equally important.”

The study focused on participants in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, a voluntary conservation initiative that helps private landowners restore and manage habitat on their property. Researchers surveyed landowners at different stages of participation and conducted habitat assessments on a subset of enrolled properties.

The results confirmed patterns identified in previous studies showing that conservation-oriented behaviors can decline over time. It was the timing of that decline surprised researchers.

Rather than seeing the most significant changes after agreements concluded, the researchers found evidence that stewardship erosion began earlier, during the monitoring and later stages of participation.

The findings suggest opportunities for conservation programs to better support landowners throughout the life of an agreement and during the transition that follows.

Notably, of all the landowner, property, and program characteristics examined, only program-related factors were associated with habitat condition. Specifically, longer contract lengths and whether a property was currently enrolled or had exited a program were linked to differences in stewardship outcomes.

These findings suggest that future programs could explore ways to maintain landowner engagement throughout participation, particularly during longer agreements. These could include adjustments to when incentives are delivered and greater emphasis on ongoing relationships between program staff and landowners.

While the study was not designed to test specific solutions, the findings point to potential new research areas.

For Sorice, the study represents an important step toward understanding a question that affects conservation efforts across the United States.

“This study helps us understand when program-supported habitat quality begins to decline,” he said. “The next step is understanding what programs can do to support landowners and help conservation practices persist over time.”

Original study: DOI:10.1111/con4.70021