Conservation Equity Partners adds Monarch Ranch to conservation, land management portfolio

Conservation Equity Partners is excited to announce the recent addition of Val Verde County’s Monarch Ranch West to its land management portfolio.

At more than 19,000 acres, this ecologically-rich oasis is located along more than three miles of the Devil’s River, which is used by the state of Texas as an index for water quality. Elements of the Chihuahuan Desert, Edwards Plateau, and Tamaulipan Thornscrub along with deep river basin soils converge to create a stunning landscape that exhibits evidence of human habitation dating back more than 10,000 years — including remnants of historic Fort Hudson.

The property’s tributaries, springs, and riparian woodlands support an astounding diversity of wildlife, native vegetation, and recreational opportunities. This includes migratory populations of the endangered monarch butterfly, as well as one of the country’s largest remaining bat populations residing within Fern Cave. 

“We look forward to implementing a number of beneficial land management projects including the re-establishment of a prescribed burn program, riparian ecosystem improvements, invasive species control, as well as engaging with leading bat ecologists and chiropterologists to ensure the health of populations that rely on this landscape,” said Terry Anderson, co-founder and principal of Conservation Equity Partners.

 A conservation easement on the property, previously established by the Nature Conservancy, helps conserve the ecological values along the Devil’s River and is part of a larger system of public and private collaboration within the region to ensure the Devil’s River remains wild and running clear.  

The technical team of Conservation Equity Partners will manage Monarch Ranch West on behalf of Conservation Equity Management, an environmental sustainability private equity firm based in Dallas and Nacogdoches, Texas. Founded in 2021, Conservation Equity Management’s investment perspective centers around the rapidly expanding market of ecosystem services, facilitating conservation investment that not only benefits investors but the natural world and surrounding communities.