Working Lands Conservation Programs and Practices 

While management practices on state and federal lands are critical to the success of carbon management programs, particularly in the Western United States, there is no question that private lands programs will be essential to the success of any program attempting to offset the effects of climate change. Be it through carbon sequestration efforts or habitat improvements designed to increase biodiversity, our nation’s private landowners hold a key to the implementation of climate solutions.  

While carbon markets represent a lucrative tool, it is also important to consider the voluntary private lands conservation programs that are already being implemented throughout the country. These include Farm Bill Conservation Programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and several others, programs funded through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), and many more. Though varied in their approach, each of these programs result in the establishment and management of plant communities that sequester and store significant amounts of carbon while providing quality wildlife habitat for a variety of species, thereby increasing climate resiliency within the ecosystem.