conservancy
(kənˈsɜːvənsɪ)
[f. L. conservānt-, pr. pple. of conservāre to conserve: see -ancy. Du Cange refers to one instance of conservantia = conservatio; but our modern use seems to be by inadvertency for the earlier conservacy, q.v.]
Official conservation; the office of conservators, a board of official conservators. Cf. conservation 2. a. A commission or court having jurisdiction over a port or river, to regulate the fisheries, navigation, etc.; as the Thames, the Mersey conservancy.
| 1755 Johnson s.v., Courts held by the Lord Mayor of London for the preservation of the fishery on the River Thames, are called Courts of Conservancy. 1763 [see conservacy, quot. 1558]. 1771 Remonstrance in Ann. Reg. (1772) 193 They have..superseded the conservancy of the river Thames. 1865 Pall Mall G. 25 Oct. 3 The Lower Thames (reaching from the City stone at Staines to the City stone at Gantlet Creek, near the mouth) being under the Thames Conservancy, and the Upper Thames under the Thames Commissioners. The Thames Conservancy is a board composed of some of the civic authorities of London, and others interested in the navigation. 1884 Times (weekly ed.) 19 Dec. 15/2 In full view of the conservancy men on the steamboat pier. |
b. The official preservation of trees, forests.
| 1859 Tennent Ceylon II. x. ii. 613 The age of the Bo-tree is matter of record, its conservancy has been an object of solicitude to successive dynasties. 1881 Horne Fiji 203 A preliminary step to be taken for the conservancy of the sandalwood. 1884 Nature 26 June 195/6 India was the first to organise a complete system of forest conservancy. |
c. generally.
| 1884 Q. Rev. 141 A conservancy of hard won privileges. |