A land exchange or land swap is the exchange of land between two parties, typically a private owner and a government. These parties may include farmers, estate owners, nature organizations, and governments.[1] Land swaps may also take place between two sovereign nations for practical, geographical or economic reasons.
The exchange of land is undertaken for a variety of reasons, among them the conversion or rehabilitation of a parcel of land to nature.[1] For example, after the Netherlands designated the Dutch National Ecological Network, provincial governments in the country established programs offering financial and organizational assistance for the acquisition of agricultural land and its restoration to more natural habitats.[1]