Conservation of natural lands couldn’t happen without the support and passion of individuals.  From government decision makers to grassroots advocates, passionate individuals fuel global conservation.  Private conservation easements are one way in which individuals or families who own land can contribute to the Nature Needs Half vision.  In basic terms, a conservation easement legally designates an area for conservation through partnership with government (municipal, county, state or federal) or a private entity to restrict future development or industrial uses.
A family in Sonora, located just 30 miles south of the US-Mexico border, recently did just that by voluntarily setting aside their ranch for wildlife conservation. In March 2011 the Mexican National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) announced the designation of “Rancho El Aribabi” as a Natural Protected Area, under the category of Voluntary Land Conservation. The designation protects 10,000 acres of private property located in Municipality of Imuris, Sonora for ecosystem and biodiversity conservation, environmental education and ecotourism.
The ongoing management of “Rancho El Aribabi” will be done in partnership between CONANP and the family.  And, while there is no financial incentive for their conservation commitment, it is clear that there are many benefit for the family: “Our family is proud to provide a preserve for the region’s plants and animals in perpetuity,” says Carlos Robles Elias, owner of Rancho El Aribabi. “For my family it means sharing our lives with all the wildlife that surrounds us. It is very satisfactory and it teaches us, and society in general, to share the world. Whether we realize it or not, we all have a commitment to protect the natural world, since we rely on nature to eat and live.”  Read the full press release on “Rancho El Aribabi” >