Examples of Conservation Planning

Conservation planning can take on many forms ranging from multi-state ecosystem level plans to local habitat conservation plans that focus on a single endangered species.  All levels of planning are important, but each individual plan is most effective when it connects with other planning efforts in the area.  For example, including information from a local habitat conservation plan in an eco-regional plan maintains consistency and increases coordination.  The following selection of conservation plans is organized by scale in recognition of the many different perspectives that all contribute to conservation.  A final section also discusses species and taxa-specific planning efforts.

State Conservation Planning

Defenders of Wildlife believes that state governments have the opportunity to provide additional protection for biodiversity and ecosystems that goes beyond existing federal efforts.  We advocate for statewide planning to help set unified goals for conservation among a variety of local and regional interests.

State Wildlife Action Plans

State Wildlife Action Plans take a proactive approach to habitat conservation and species preservation.  These plans outline a strategy for protecting priority habitats and species that are at risk, but not yet on the Endangered Species list. By October 2005, every state, all U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia had completed a State plan.  In each state, the wildlife agency led the effort, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to identify species of greatest conservation need, priority habitats, threats, and conservation actions. Defenders of Wildlife has completed a review of the plans.

Oregon’s Biodiversity Project

In partnership with Defenders of Wildlife, conservation groups created a ground-breaking strategic biodiversity conservation plan for Oregon, which was published in 1998.  This plan identifies priority habitat types and areas across the state where stakeholders can focus conservation efforts.  These areas build off the existing protected lands with the goal of maintaining contiguous areas of habitat. Much of the information gathered for this assessment helped build the foundation for Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan.

Maryland’s Green Infrastructure Assessment

As part of the state’s smart growth initiatives, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources completed an assessment of green infrastructure resources across the state in 2001.  The assessment used existing information on a number of factors including aquatic and terrestrial resources, habitat quality, locations of species richness, rare species occurrences, steep slopes, and existing protected areas to identify a set of the best remaining habitat blocks in the state and a network of existing and potential (with the help of restoration) habitat corridors.  Although this was a statewide effort, the map is proving useful to local governments in guiding habitat protection and development patterns.

Maryland’s Green Infrastructure Network

For more information on Green Infrastructure visit: Green Infrastructure

Additional examples of state conservation plans:

Regional Conservation Planning

Species and ecosystems range across political boundaries.  Therefore, some organizations define boundaries using natural divisions like ecoregions or watersheds.  Also, multiple states within a given region can work together to achieve large-scale ecosystem protection.

Nature Conservancy’s Ecoregional Assessments

The map shows Wyoming Basin Ecoregion Portfolio site locations.  The Bamford Lake site is highlighted in the yellow box and landowner information and conservation targets for the site are listed at right.

TNC Wyoming Basins ecoregional plan: Bamforth Lake site

The Nature Conservancy realized that their organization can use their funding more effectively if they have a long range plan for land acquisition and restoration based on the best available science.  In North America, the conservancy organized their planning by ecoregions, which can span multiple states and countries.  These plans identify a portfolio of conservation lands and rank them based on ecology and threat levels.

Southeastern Ecological Framework Project

The Environmental Protection Agency (Region 4), coordinated the creation of the Southeastern Ecological Framework Project to identify ecologically significant areas and connectivity across eight southeastern states (Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi).  The Ecological Framework identified 43% of the land area across these 8 states as critical for protecting ecosystem function.  It builds off existing protected areas and identifies additional lands that can help maintain connectivity. This effort was completed in 2002.

Local Conservation Planning

Most land use decisions are made at the local level.  Conservation plans at the local scale are necessary to inform development and land use decisions.  In addition, local plans involve residents and citizens in the protection of their landscape.  This ground-up approach is often the most sustainable over the long-term.  Linking local plans to larger regional and state level efforts helps build the continuity necessary to maintain ecosystem function.

Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan

This award-winning plan fully integrates conservation and land use planning.  Starting in 1998, planners and ecologists came together to create a plan that protects critical environmental (including riparian and endangered species habitat) and cultural resources (such as ranch lands and archeological sites) in Pima County, AZ.  This plan was the County’s response to rapid population growth in Tuscon that was leading to urban sprawl, habitat loss, and species endangerment.

In 2004, Pima County citizens approved a $174.3 million bond program to fund protection of conservation lands identified in the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.  As of the end of 2006, this money has protected 25,556 acres of prime habitat identified by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. An additional 86,200 acres has been placed under conservation easement.  The conservation work is far from over, however. The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan must continue to guide both development and land protection efforts.  The Plan must be updated to remain current and questions about habitat management on these newly protected lands remains in question. Defenders’ Arizona office is working to ensure that the lands protected under this program truly provide benefits to wildlife. www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp

Blackbird-Millington Corridor

The Blackbird-Millington Corridor stretches from the Delaware Bay, across Delaware and into Eastern Maryland.  In 2004, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources initiated a partnership with the Nature Conservancy to develop local conservation plan for this area.  The partners used extensive public input to create a strategic conservation plan for protecting forests, aquatic resources and working agricultural lands.  Based on the wishes of the community, the plan outlines a detailed set of actions focusing heavily on incentives programs, easements, and acquisition to protect this unique area.

Blackbird-Millington Corridor Conservation Area Plan

Blackbird Millington Conservation Corridor

Additional examples of local conservation planning:

Species Specific Planning Efforts

Bird Conservation

The follow examples illustrate taxa-specific planning efforts. 

  • The Audubon Society’s Important Bird Areasidentifies critical bird habitat locations across the U.S.  These areas are incorporated into numerous conservation planning efforts including the other bird plans listed below.
  • North American Waterfowl Management Plan is an international plan for bird conservation throughout North America.  The plan establishes regional partnerships, or “Joint Ventures” that work develop projects and protect critical migratory bird habitat.
  • Partners in Flight Plansare the result of international cooperation spanning North, Central and South America.  PIF has developed Bird Conservation Plans for North America that identify priorities, establish objectives, develop conservation actions and initiate evaluation procedures.
  • Western Hemisphere Shorebird Network strives to create a comprehensive network of protected habitats that will support and maintain shorebird populations throughout their migratory pathways.
  • North American Waterbird Conservation Planfocuses on protecting waterbirds in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
  • North American Bird Conservation Initiative established a committee made up of government agencies, private organizations, and other bird initiatives to increase coordination and join together many of the separate bird conservation planning efforts.

Endangered Species Recovery Plans

Defenders of Wildlife is a national leader in endangered species protection. Recovery plans are a critical part of endangered species protection.  Recovery plans outline goals and actions to bring an endangered species back from the brink of extinction.  These plans strive to increase the number of individuals and populations to a self-sustaining level.  Recovery plans are meant to coordinate action across different levels of government and can cover one or multiple species.

Habitat Conservation Planning

Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) are a pre-requisite to obtaining an “incidental take” permit under the Endangered Species Act.  Incidental take refers to take (i.e. harm to an endangered species) that is "incidental to, and not the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise lawful activity."  HCPs outline specific steps that the applicant must take to minimize and mitigate impacts to the endangered species.  Frequently these plans require habitat protection, restoration and enhancement in one area in exchange for some lost habitat in another.  US Fish and Wildlife Service has developed the Habitat Conservation Planning Handbook to help guide applicants and planners through the HCP planning process.