California Natural Community Conservation Planning

California Natural Community Conservation Planning
Name	California Natural Community Conservation Planning
Abbrev	NCCP
Established	1991
Jurisdiction	California
Administering body	California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Legal foundation	Natural Community Conservation Planning Act of 1991

California Natural Community Conservation Planning is a state program created to integrate species and habitat conservation with land use and development planning across California. It was developed under the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act of 1991 and is administered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, interacting with agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous county governments and city governments across the state. The program aims to provide long-term protection for biological diversity while accommodating compatible economic and infrastructure development in regions including the Southern California coast, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sacramento Valley, and the Central Coast.

Overview

NCCP is a landscape-scale conservation planning framework designed to conserve multiple species and natural communities in regions such as San Diego County, Orange County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, Sonoma County, Marin County, Napa County, Solano County, Yolo County, Butte County, Shasta County, Siskiyou County, Humboldt County, Del Norte County, Kern County, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Clara County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County, San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, Fresno County, Tulare County, Kings County, Imperial County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County. It builds on statutory authorities tied to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and regional initiatives like the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program and South Coast Missing Linkages Project, while coordinating with entities such as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the California Coastal Commission.

Legal and Policy Framework

The statutory and regulatory foundations include the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act of 1991 and the state-level implementation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife alongside federal obligations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. NCCP interacts with landmark legal instruments and institutions such as the California Environmental Quality Act, the Coastal Act of 1976, the California State Water Resources Control Board, the California Legislature, the California Governor's office, and local planning commissions in jurisdictions like San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. The framework aligns with conservation science produced by institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Davis, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and research centers such as the Point Reyes National Seashore research programs and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Conservation Planning Process

NCCP planning proceeds through biological assessments, reserve design, impact avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and adaptive management. Planners employ datasets and methodologies developed by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and academic groups from the Smithsonian Institution and the California Academy of Sciences. Stakeholder engagement typically involves local governments, regional agencies such as the Southern California Association of Governments, utility providers like Pacific Gas and Electric Company, transport authorities including Caltrans, landowners, developers represented by associations like the California Chamber of Commerce, and tribal governments such as the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, the Redding Rancheria, and other federally recognized tribes. Scientific inputs reference species lists from the California Natural Diversity Database and habitat mapping methodologies used by the United States Geological Survey and the National Park Service.

Implementation and Management

Implementation relies on conservation easements, land acquisitions, habitat restoration, and management overseen by agencies and organizations including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service, state park systems such as the California State Parks, and non-governmental partners like the California Native Plant Society, The Nature Conservancy in California, and regional land trusts (for example, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and San Diego River Park Foundation). Funding mechanisms include state bond measures approved by the California State Legislature and voters, federal grants from agencies like the United States Department of Agriculture, and contributions from private foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Annenberg Foundation. Monitoring programs draw on expertise from university researchers at Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, California State University, Chico, and regional science centers.

Case Studies and Regional Plans

Prominent regional plans developed under the program include the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program, the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, the Orange County Natural Community Conservation Plan, the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan, the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan, the San Joaquin County Multi-Species Conservation Plan, the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan, and the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan. These efforts interact with projects and entities such as Interstate 5 Project corridors, High-Speed Rail planning, the Delta Stewardship Council, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and coastal protections administered by the California Coastal Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Case studies often cite species such as the California gnatcatcher, San Joaquin kit fox, steelhead trout, California condor, red-legged frog, giant garter snake, tule elk, coastal sage scrub species, and various endemic plants cataloged by the California Native Plant Society.

Challenges and Criticisms

Critics point to coordination challenges among entities like county planning departments, regional transportation agencies, and utility providers including Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric; disputes over mitigation banking, development offsets, and monitoring adequacy have involved stakeholders such as the California Building Industry Association, environmental groups like the Sierra Club California, and tribal governments. Other criticisms address tensions with infrastructure projects including Interstate 405 improvements, Los Angeles International Airport expansion, and the California High-Speed Rail program, and legal challenges have been brought before courts including the California Supreme Court and federal courts. Adaptive management effectiveness is debated among scientists affiliated with University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Davis, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, while funding shortfalls implicate state budgetary processes overseen by the California State Assembly and the California State Senate.

Category:Conservation in California