On April 16, Orange County adopted a Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) for the central-coastal area, and on April 23 and May 1, respectively, the City and County of San Diego gave the green light for a Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP), which is their version of the NCCP program. On March 21, Riverside County took a step in the same direction when its Habitat Conservation Agency adopted a long-term plan to establish a reserve that will protect multiple species, including the endangered Stephen's kangaroo rat, laying the foundation for its multiple species effort.
The three plans are part of the NCCP program initiated in 1991 by Governor Pete Wilson and administered by the Department of Fish and Game.
The purpose of NCCP is to protect enough natural habitat to sustain natural communities of plants and wildlife, while at the same time allowing for compatible economic development.
"If we plan wisely for the use of the land and natural resources that we share with plants and wildlife, they will sustain us indefinitely," Secretary for Resources Doug Wheeler said. "Planning that conserves natural communities and allows for sustainable development helps avoid the need for endangered species listings that can signal disaster for development projects and other economic land uses."
Conserving habitat enables many species to survive. When species are crowded out by helter-skelter development that consumes habitat unselectively, their numbers dwindle. Eventually, they are likely to make the state or federal endangered species list, a fate that can result in both severe economic repercussions for landowners wanting to develop or otherwise use their property and inadequate long-term protection.
NCCP was designed to overcome these problems. The program has been described as a model for the rest of the country, and, according to The New York Times, "the nation's biggest and boldest attempt to reconcile urban development with the natural landscape." The advancement of NCCP planning in San Diego, Orange, and Riverside counties represents the fruition of considerable cooperative work among local, state, and federal government agencies, landowners, conservation groups, and other interest groups.
NCCP's Goals
When the NCCP was created at the request of Governor Wilson in 1991 it set as a goal the protection the long-term integrity of coastal sage scrub habitat in a 6,000 square-mile area in five Southern California counties -- San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino. A scientific advisory panel established the guidelines for the program. Drawing the plans is a locally controlled painstaking process that involves public and private partners. Each plan then must be approved by the appropriate city and county agencies.
Certainty for Landowners
NCCP and its related plans, such as MSCP, provide a process that serves the needs of landowners by offering certainty in land use that did not exist previously. Once they are part of the plan, landowners can proceed with development without fear that discovery of an endangered species will halt the project. Such discoveries have delayed or scuttled many projects at great economic loss to owners and investors. Under NCCP, landowners know where they stand.
San Diego's Historic Plan
A week after the San Diego City Council endorsed the MSCP, the San Diego Board of Supervisors threw its support behind the plan. The MSCP provides for a 164,000-acre preserve system designed to protect 87 species and distinct habitats that currently are imperiled. A 55,000-acre portion of the preserve lies within San Diego city limits.
"There is no higher natural resources priority for Governor Wilson than the approval and implementation of NCCP and its subregional components such as MSCP," Wheeler said in remarks to the San Diego City Council.
The MSCP is one of three major plans covering 1.3 million acres that are being developed under the NCCP program in San Diego County, and a number of other cities in the county will have to act on it.
Orange County's Landmark Plan
The Central/Coastal NCCP approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors provides for habitat protection and compatible land uses for 209,000 acres of developed land and open space in non-contiguous areas. It is the first NCCP plan to be approved and the largest scale plan for sustainable development that has been devised. Developing the plan involved the work of about 30 public and 30 private sector partners.
The plan establishes a permanent reserve of about 38,000 acres that protects four different types of habitat, such as coastal sage scrub, home of the threatened California gnatcatcher, a small songbird. The reserve will help meet long-term biological needs of at least 42 species. Management of the reserve will be overseen by a nonprofit agency with involvement of the Department of Fish and Game. Orange County is moving towards completion of two other NCCP plans in the southern and northern areas of the county by the end of this year.
Riverside County's HCP
The Riverside County Habitat Conservation Plan, a cornerstone of multiple species habitat planning, establishes a 260,000-acre reserve. The Departments of Fish and Game and Parks and Recreation will manage the reserve and thus save Riverside County $2.1 million in operational costs.
Find out more about NCCP on the Internet, at the NCCP page.