Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs)
Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) are required planning documents for entities interested in applying for incidental take permits. HCPs fall under the umbrella of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) that protects threatened and endangered species throughout the nation. The aim of HCPs is to set allow economic growth with compromising long-term species survival. There have been more than 430 HCPs approved with many more in the planning stage [1].
Contents
HCP Requirements
Under section 10 of the ESA, a HCP must meet six requirements before any ITP can be issued. [2] The six requirements are:
- All take must be incidental
- Impacts will be mitigated and minimized as much as possible
- Adequate funding to address unexpected problems
- Take must not reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery of species
- Applicant must ensure other Federal regulations will also be implemented
- Federal regulators must be certain HCP can and will be implemented
HCP Process
HCPs are split up into three phases: HCP Development, Formal Permit Processing and Post-issuance.
List of all HCPs in the Central Coast Region[3]
- Fort Ord Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)
- Marina Peninsula Trail and Rehabilitation Project Site
- Seascape Uplands
- Santa Cruz Gardens Unit 12
- Blake Lake
References
Disclaimer
This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.
