ACCESS AGAINST ALIENATION: EXPLORING THE STATUS AND IMPLICATIONS OF PUBLIC ACCESS TO CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROPERTIES IN VIRGINIA

The increased popularity of private conservation easements in the United States has resulted in heightened interest in the ways that the public interacts with them. I situate these issues in literature on the importance of access to nature, neoliberal governance, and environmental justice. Interviews with Virginia conservation professionals found that prioritization of public access to private conservation lands is increasing but is not the top priority for most land trusts. This thesis argues that greater academic and practical discourse is warranted to explore how to provide public access to conservation easements as a way of addressing broader alienation from nature.

Author

• Mills, Trinity

• alienation
• conservation easement
• equity
• land trust
• neoliberalism
• public access

Identifier

hdl:1920/15253

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:MARS:1920/15253