Land Preservation
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PRACTICE GUIDE: STATE AND FEDERAL LAW (Michael B. Gerrard, ed., Matthew Bender, 2003
113 Pages Posted: 3 Nov 2009
Date Written: 2003
Abstract
The preservation of land is affected by many influences. Predominant among them is local land use control. States subdivide themselves into municipal jurisdictions and give cities, towns, villages, boroughs, counties and other municipalities authority to determine the activities that are permitted on the land. The intensity, density, and scale of the use of private land under local rules will determine whether and to what extent natural resources and environmental functions will be protected. This chapter explores the opportunities inherent in local legal authority and practice to achieve land conservation. It looks first at the power of local governments to regulate land then at their authority to acquire it.
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