Conservation Program
Regional Conservation Planning
Natural Community Conservation Plans (NCCPs) and Habitat
Conservation Plans (HCPs) are rapidly becoming the preferred
regulatory replacement for project-by-project environmental
review and permitting. The programs are essentially streamlined
endangered species take permitting processes, but they do allow
for a landscape-scale, ecosystem perspective to conservation
planning. Unfortunately, the permits are very long term (often
>50 years) and grant regulatory assurances to the permittees
which preclude additional fees or mitigation once the plan is
approved.
While the permittees and developers get assurances that they
will not have to contribute more money or mitigation once the
plan has been approved, the only assurances available to the
resources and the environmental community is the use of the best
available science. To that extent, it is imperative that
scientists and environmental advocates become involved in the
planning process in order to advocate for the environmental
resources and the best available science.
New
Resources
Regional Conservation Planning
in California: A Guide -- A
guide by the Institute of Ecological Health gives an excellent
overview of regional conservation planning. Covers all the
pertinent laws and concepts in an easy to read format. (PDF,
441k)
CNPS Resources
CNPS staff and volunteer conservation advocates are actively
involved in regional conservation planning throughout
California. The following resources are being developed to
facilitate sharing of planning strategies and scientific
information.
CNPS Conservation Forum -- A web-based message board for discussion of conservation related issues. This is a good place to post general conservation related questions.
The Habitat
Conservation Plan - Natural Community Conservation Program
Manual -- David Chipping, CNPS, Public Release Edition 2.0,
Fall 1999. Note that this manual was prepared before SB 107 and
therefore contains outdated information on the NCCP Act and
process. A revised manual is in preparation.
NCCP (State) Statutes, Regulations and Guidelines
Natural Community Conservation Plans are authorized under
State of California Fish and Game Code. During the 2001-2002
legislative term, a new law was passed which substantially
changed the NCCP Act. Plans under development may fall under
either the old or the new NCCP Act depending upon when the
planning agreement was signed.
California
Fish and Game Code 2800-2840 -- This NCCP Act applies to
projects for which planning agreements were approved prior to
January 1, 2001. (PDF)
In addition to the statutes above, the Department of Fish and
Game has produces several guidance documents pertinent to the
NCCP planning process. Since these were mostly prepared prior to
the passage of SB 107, we expect to see some changes in the near
future.
NCCP
General Process Guidelines -- Department of Fish and Game,
January 1998. Except as provided in Fish and Game Code section
2830, these guidelines are superceded by the NCCP Act of 2002
(Fish & Game Code, Section
2800 et seq.).
Improving
Public Outreach and Education for Natural Community
Conservation Planning -- Department of Fish and Game, Fall
2000
Guidance
for the NCCP Independent Science Advisory Process --
Department of Fish and Game, August 2002
Roles
& Responsibilities of Consultants in Developing NCCP/HCPs -- Department of Fish and Game, 2002
Natural
Communities Conservation Planning -- Department of Fish
and Game web site
Draft
Research Guidance
to Address the Needs of Land Managers -- Department of
Fish and Game, March 1997
HCP (Federal) Statutes, Regulations and Guidelines
Habitat Conservation Plans are required under the Federal
Endangered Species Act as part of the Section 10(a) Incidental
Take Permit provision. The HCP standards are to fully mitigate
for impacts and must not jeopardize the continued existence of
listed species.
Endangered Species
Habitat Conservation Planning -- A U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service website containing a good overview of the Federal HCP
permitting process.
Habitat
Conservation Planning Handbook -- This is a joint U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries
Service handbook. Some material, such as the complete list of
endangered plants and animals, is not available in this online
version.
Reports on Regional Conservation Planning Projects
The following reports were instrumental in helping to
formulate needs for a new NCCP Act which culminated in the
passage of
SB 107 in January 2002.
Pollak, D. 2001a. Natural
Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) - The origins of an
Ambitious Experiment to Protect Ecosystems. Part 1 of a
series. California Research Bureau, California State Library,
Sacramento. 57 pp.
Pollak, D. 2001b. The
Future of Habitat Conservation? - The NCCP Experience in
Southern California. Part 2 of a series. California Research
Bureau, California State Library, Sacramento. 99 pp.
Jasny, M. 1997. Leap
of Faith, Southern California's Experiment in Natural Community
Conservation Planning. Natural Resources Defense
Council.
Rolfe,
A. 2001. Understanding
the Political Realities of Regional Conservation Planning. Fremontia (29)3-4:13-18.
Witham,
C.W. 2001. The
Future of Regional Conservation Planning. Fremontia 29(3-4):19-26.
Numerous reports are available on the HCP
process and the scientific shortfalls of plans prepared to
date.
NCEAS. 1998. Using
Science in Habitat Conservation Plans. National Center for
Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and American Institute of
Biological Sciences.
Current Planning Projects
Coachella
Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan --
The draft CVMSHCP covers 1,136,261 acres, a diverse mixture of
desert and mountain habitats. This plan is subject to the §
2830(d) grandfather clause in SB 107. The Science
Advisors report was released in April 2001.
Eastern Contra
Costa County -- East Contra Costa County Habitat
Conservation Plan Association. This plan will fall under the
provisions of SB 107.
Mendocino Redwood Company NCCP/HCP -- This will be the first single landowner,
timber-related NCCP. The planning agreement is not available
on the DFG or MRC websites. The Science
Advisors Report was issued August 2003.
Eastern Merced
County -- The County of Merced and the University of
California are working together to develop an NCCP plan that
will address conservation while accommodating a new UC campus.
This plan is subject to the § 2830(e) grandfather clause in
SB 107. The Science
Advisors report was released in November 2002. A biological
survey data report was also recently released.
Orange County -- There are three subregional
plans for this area. The central-coastal plan has been
approved. The others are in the planning phase. Please refer
to the Department
of Fish and Game NCCP Status page for additional
information on the Orange County NCCPs.
San Diego County -- There are numerous plans
and subplans in this area. Some are approved and others are
still in draft format. Please refer to the Department
of Fish and Game NCCP Status page for additional
information on the San Diego County NCCPs.
Santa Clara County Multi-Species/Multi-Agency HCP/NCCP:
Shasta County -- An NCCP/HCP is currently
being considered for the greater Redding Area. No website is
available.
Additional On-line Resources
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Dedicated to the Preservation of California Native Flora