California Sensitive
Natural Communities Initiative

Mapping and monitoring delicate habitat

Vegetation types (or plant communities) provide key ecosystem services by maintaining water cycles, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and providing habitat for rare plant and animal species. Given this, the degradation of sensitive natural communities can disrupt the integrity of the ecological functions of our natural environments, leading to the loss of sensitive plant and animal species and a corresponding decrease in biodiversity.

the degradation of sensitive natural communities can disrupt the integrity of the ecological functions of our natural environments

The inherent values of vegetation have led scientists and conservationists to make use of vegetation patterns as a surrogate for ecosystems. Through its sensitive natural communities initiative, CNPS uses a multi-step process to identify, inventory, map, and track sensitive natural communities throughout the state. The main objectives are to:

• Utilize and expand existing methods to identify, sample, and map sensitive natural communities
• Identify new processes to document and protect sensitive natural communities
• Identify funding for future work in key regions and habitats of the state (e.g., Central Coast and maritime chaparral vegetation, riparian and wetland vegetation)
• Train/assist local CNPS and other partners in using our existing and new processes
• Analyze existing and new data to better describe sensitive natural communities
• Update rarity ranks of sensitive natural communities
• Provide useful descriptions and maps of sensitive natural communities with other agencies
• Develop conservation measures and strategies

Find out more about the Sensitive Natural Communities Initiative by reading our Position Statement.

Partner Organizations and Initiatives:
Bay Area Conservation Lands Network
Sonoma County Vital Lands Initiative
CNPS Important Plant Area program
CDFW Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE)