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Doctrine of Changed Conditions

  1. In conservation easement work, a court-imposed doctrine, similar to cy pres, that permits the modification or termination of restrictions on the land if the surround area or circumstances have changed so that the restrictions can no longer fulfill their original purposes. In conservation easements, economic changes are generally not considered justification for modification or termination. [Source: Elizabeth Byers and Karin Marchetti Ponti, The Conservation Easement Handbook, Published by the Trust for Public Land and the Land Trust Alliance, 2005.]