TerraFirma Risk Retention Group

Area characterisation:

Terrestrial

Objective:

Insure land trusts against legal challenges

Start/end date:

1 January 2011

Financing:

Private

Potential impacts/benefits:

Legal defence for permanently conserved lands
Pooled risk across 1,500+ land trust members
Increased donor and regulatory confidence in conservation commitments

Actions:

Operates a pooled risk-retention insurance model across member land trusts, funding legal defence costs, professional support and risk prevention to defend conserved lands against litigation.

Organisations:

Land Trust Alliance & members

Contacts:

Case study referred by UNEP FI. For more information, please contact: info@naturance.eu.

Terrafirma is a risk retention group established by the Land Trust Alliance in 2011 to help land trusts defend conserved lands against legal challenges. Land Trusts face a range of risks including but not limited to trespassing, successors not wanting to conserve nature, property developers or IRS scrutiny. Legal defence costs can surpass US$ 1 million in some cases, yet only 4% of land trusts can fund an appeal > US$ 150,000. Terrafirma operates a pooled risk-insurance model across member lend trusts for financial protection against litigation costs, professional support and risk prevention. This collective approach aims to strengthen donor/regulatory confidence in land trusts' ability to uphold permanent conservation commitments.