Habitat Conservation
Plans in California
Habitat Conservation Plans were authorized under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act is a strong law, which applies to Federal and non-federal agencies, as well as to individuals and corporations. Some saw it as interfering with the ability of property owners to use their property. Habitat Conservation Plans are an attempt to allow non-federal property owners to conduct lawful activities on their property that might result in an "incidental take" of an endangered species, if certain conditions are met. Incidental Take Permits may be issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. In return for an Incidental Take Permit, the property owner agrees to a plan to minimize the effects of the permitted action on endangered and threatened species, and may also mitigate for such effects, usually by conserving appropriate habitat. A monitoring program which is part of the HCP assures that the conservation program will continue in the long term. Property owners benefit because, once the HCP is in place, and the Permit is issued, they can go ahead with development or other activity on their property without worrying that they will be found in violation of the Endangered Species Act. Also, because of the "No Surprises" rule, property owners know that even if some unforeseen circumstance arises, they will still be in compliance with the law, and will not face changes in the permit which would require them to commit more money or land than was required in the original Permit. Species and ecosystems benefit because the Permits require landowners to make a long-term commitment to species conservation under the HCP. They may do this by initiating conservation measures on their land, by setting aside a portion of the land as undisturbed habitat, by paying for the restoration or enhancement of habitats, or by simply purchasing land to be set aside as part of a conservation bank. Large HCP's allow for habitat planning in a coordinated manner over a large region, which is likely to help endangered and threatened species along with other species that depend on that habitat. Implementation of HCP's is complicated and often controversial. The process has resulted in agreements that allow development in some areas, while also setting aside important blocks of land for habitat conservation. For further details on how these plans work, see the links below.
Endangered Species Habitat Conservation Planning is the US Fish and Wildlife Services's page on Habitat Conservation Plans. It explains what an HCP is, discusses the various aspects and implications of HCP's from the Service's point of view, includes a great deal of information on endangered species (including the full text of the Endangered Species Act), and has links to a lot of other information on this subject. This is a good place to start.
Habitat Conservation Plans from the National Wildlife Federation, has a lot of information on these programs. There are some basic fact sheets on HCP's, a recommended list of HCP Safeguards to improve HCP's, and a discussion of recommended Landowner Incentives that would make it more attractive for private landowners to preserve habitat and conserve endangered species.
Safe Harbor Agreements and the Endangered Species Act, from the National Wildlife Federation, explains what a "safe harbor agreement" is, discusses some of its implications for conservation, and recommends some safeguards that should be put into effect to prevent a safe harbor agreement from being used as a tool for habitat destruction rather than a means of habitat conservation.
The Quiet Revolution, from the Fish and Wildlife Service, "revised August 1998, is an introduction to Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and features several examples of how HCPs can work to allow development on private land to coexist with species and habitat conservation. In addition to brief case studies, The Quiet Revolution includes helpful contact information and answers to commonly asked questions". This is a 32-page book in Adobe PDF format, with a foreword by Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior. The many beautiful photographs make this a very slow download, but it is a useful document if you are interested in this topic. You may also order a paper version from this page. The book covers HCP's in general, and includes several examples from California.
HCPs: Planning Strategy Offers Incentives to Conserve Habitat is a good summary article in California Biodiversity News.
NCCP Update-- Status of NCCP Planning Efforts lists Habitat Conservation Plans in Southern California and gives their current status.
Multiple Habitat Conservation Program (MHCP) is a description of this program from the San Diego Association of Governments, with a number of useful links.
The Multiple Species Conservation Program is a detailed (19-page) summary of this program, from the City of San Diego, with a section on how to obtain more information.
The County of San Diego's page on the Multiple Species Conservation Program contains a summary of the plan, and links to details on the plan, relevant ordnances, and other information.
Understanding the Plants and Animals of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat
Conservation Plan gives access to a tremendous amount of information on the MSHCP for western Riverside County, with a focus on biological resources.LUPIN is California's Land Use Planning Information Network. From here, you can do a search to access a vast amount of information on HCP's and other land use planning information.
Habitat Conservation Plans--Incidental Take Permits is a listing of all HCP's in the U.S., from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It includes a list of 255 incidental take permits that have been issued, and about 200 HCP's that are in process, as of June, 1999. A great number of these are in California. This is a 26-page document, in Adobe PDF format.
CNPS Manual on the HCP-NCCP Process, is from the California Native Plant Society. This is not a brief summary. It is a book with 13 chapters, discussing and evaluating the HCP process, and covering mitigation, procedures, cumulative impacts and many other issues of concern.
Noss, Reed F., M.A. O'Connell, and D. D. Murphy. 1997. The Science of Conservation Planning--Habitat Conservation Under the Endangered Species Act. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Golden Eagle photo by Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles
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06/07/06
The grizzly bear is the state animal of California, and is the bear on the California flag. There are no grizzly bears in the wild in California today. The last one in the state was killed in 1922, or possibly in 1924.