Public land is owned and operated by a government and is usually designated as undeveloped for outdoor recreation and nature conservation. In the past, public lands were sold or granted to private individuals for personal use and settlement. Public lands are protected by national public lands laws that limit and designate how land can be used and exploited. Public lands are different from federal enclaves, which are parcels of land that the US government takes from states for its own purposes.
Public land, also known as public domain land, is land owned and operated by a government. Public lands in most countries are usually designated as undeveloped and are conserved by the government for outdoor recreation and nature conservation. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, however, public lands were often sold or granted to private individuals for personal use and settlement. Much of the land in Canada, the United States and Australia was once public land that has been transferred to individual settlers. Modern public lands are generally protected by national public lands laws that limit and designate how land can be used and exploited.
All countries contain land owned and managed solely by the government in accordance with national property law. Some of this land is used for government purposes, some plots are sold or leased, but some are intentionally left open. The term “public land” refers to these open spaces, which may include national parks, nature reserves, and other undeveloped tracts and parcels. It is often said that public land is land that the government holds in trust for its citizens.
At one time, public land sales and public land grants were the means by which individuals obtained land. This was especially true of the settlements of the United States, Canada and Australia. The British government, called “the Crown”, owned these lands and distributed the acreage to settlers and settlers. When the United States gained independence, it assumed ownership of all Crown property, but continued to lease and sell it for personal, business, or educational use. Most state universities today sit on land that was once public land granted for the express purpose of promoting higher education.
The public lands that remain are, by their very definition, public, but their use is usually strictly controlled. Many public lands are open for citizens and visitors to explore and enjoy. Hiking, camping, and boating are all popular activities on some public lands, but on others, the use of motorized vehicles or staying overnight is prohibited.
One of the biggest controversies around the use of public lands arises when public lands contain valuable resources such as water, oil or minerals. For example, in the United States much of the state of Alaska is held as public land. Alaska’s land is rich in oil, but unless the government specifically permits oil extraction there, this particular benefit will not be realized. The US government has granted limited use contracts to several oil drilling companies to allow the land to be used for certain drilling activities.
In the United States, public land grants and use enforcement are handled by federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM conducts regular surveys of public lands and manages their maintenance and conservation. Many citizens’ organizations are also active in preserving and promoting public land. Groups often form to clean up and help maintain public lands during the United States’ National Public Lands Day, usually celebrated on the last Saturday in September.
Public lands are different from the US concept of federal enclaves. Federal enclaves are parcels of land that the US government takes from states for its own purposes. Military bases are examples of federal enclaves, because they are located on land within a state, but are actually federal property. The capital of the United States, the District of Columbia, is also a federal enclave, carved into the earth between the states of Maryland and Virginia. While federal enclaves may contain open spaces, those spaces are not public land.
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