Northern California Conservation Planning Partners

Eleventh Annual Habitat Conservation Planning From Tahoe to the Bay Workshop

John Kopchik

East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy

www.cocohcp.org

The Nature of Our Regional Conservation Plans

• Plans that proactively address conservation of endangered and rare species and the biological communities of an area, while providing more assured and streamlined permitting for economic activities.

• Cover a whole county or a

sub-county area• Local government usually the

lead agency

Problems regional conservation plans are designed to address

How regional conservation plans try to address these problems

Definitions

• HCP (Habitat Conservation Plan): A federally-approved plan to conserve and permit impacts to endangered species.

• NCCP (Natural Community Conservation Plan): Similar to HCP, but approved by the State (CDFW).

• RGP (Regional General Permit): A permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cover a specified category of projects.

Approved NCCPP Plans

• San Joaquin MSHCP 5/2001

• East Contra Costa HCP/NCCP 8/2007

• Santa Clara Valley HCP / NCCP 7/2013

NCCPP Plans in Preparation

• Butte Regional Conservation Plan

• Placer County Conservation Plan

• South Sacramento HCP

• Solano HCP

• Yolo Natural Heritage Program

• Yuba / Sutter HCP/NCCP

• State Plan of Flood Control NCCP

Other Regulatory Processes

• Section 404, Clean Water Act

• Section 401, Clean Water Act

• Porter – Cologne Water Quality Control Act

• Future state Wetlands and Riparian Protection Policy

• Section 1600, Fish and Game Code

Some Biological Advantages Over Project by Project Permitting

• Direct limited resources away from project-by-project permitting and toward conservation

• Assemble a regional system of large reserves and landscape linkages drawing on the best available science to

• Avoid postage stamp preserves that become surrounded by development

• In-perpetuity monitoring and adaptive management at system-level

• Additional funding sources / better coordination

Some Economic Advantages Over Project by Project Permitting

• Avoid long and costly delays in obtaining permits

• Avoid financial institution concern about presence of listed species

• Secure regulatory permits from local planning agencies (more local contol)

• Certainty about habitat conservation requirements

Conservation Planning in California• 30 years since first HCP in nation• 20 years since first regional conservation plans

in southern California• 10 years since NCCP Act• Regional conservation plans are in place or

under preparation in 22 California counties• Total planning area: 11.7 million acres• Planned/proposed conservation: 2 million acres• Market value of covered activities: $1.6 trillion• Conserve habitat for more than 700 rare and

imperiled species

California Habitat Conservation Planning Coalition

• Multi-sector

• Four goals- funding for HCPs and NCCPs

- coordination with other permitting and

regional plans

- effectiveness

- build support

• E-newsletter

NCCPP Coordinator:

John Hopkins

Institute for Ecological Health 409 Jardin Place, Davis, CA 95616

ieh@cal.net (530) 756-6455

www.instituteforecologicalhealth.org