California Sensitive Natural Communities Initiative

Vegetation types (or plant communities) support ecosystems by maintaining water cycles, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and providing habitat for rare plant and animal species. The degradation of these natural communities can disrupt ecological functions of our natural environments, leading to the loss of sensitive plant and animal species and an overall decrease in biodiversity.   

Because vegetation reflects the health of an ecosystem, scientists and conservationists use plant community patterns as a window into the broader ecological picture. Through the Sensitive Natural Communities initiative, CNPS uses a multi-step process to identify, inventory, map, and track sensitive natural communities throughout the state.  

Partner organizations and initiatives include the Bay Area Conservation Lands Network, the Sonoma County Vital Lands Initiative, the CNPS Important Plant Area program, and CDFW Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE). 

The main objectives of this initiative are to: 

• Identify & Sample: Utilize and expand existing methods to identify, sample, and map sensitive natural communities 

• Document & Protect: Identify new processes to document and protect sensitive natural communities 

• Fund Future Work: Identify funding for future work in key regions and habitats, including the Central Coast, maritime chaparral, riparian, and wetland vegetation 

• Train & Assist Partners: Train and assist local CNPS chapters and other partners in using existing and new processes 

• Analyze Data: Analyze existing and new data to better describe sensitive natural communities 

• Update Rarity Ranks: Update rarity ranks of sensitive natural communities 

• Share Descriptions & Maps: Provide useful descriptions and maps of sensitive natural communities to other agencies 

• Develop Conservation Measures: Develop conservation measures and strategies 

You can find out more by reading our full position statement regarding Sensitive and Natural Communities here.