Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP)

Publications

• Components of the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) biological monitoring program have been under review since 2003 and are in the process of being revised. Results of the MSCP  rare plant monitoring review are available in a report published by USGS.  Animal-specific field protocols are currently being developed and reassessed by FWS and others.  A team from San Diego State University has produced a summary set of recommendations in several products:
  • Assessment of the monitoring program
  • Analysis of monitoring priorities for covered species
  • Grouping and prioritizing
  • Natural communities
  • Developing conceptual modelsfor the MSCP
  Building on these reports, the SDSU investigators will be evaluating the accuracy of different sampling designs and field protocols for monitoring coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats.
• The Conservation Biology Institute has prepared a report assessing a variety of governance structures used for implementation of ecosystem management programs. This study was undertaken to help inform the development of a regionally coordinated biological monitoring and adaptive management program among conservation stakeholders in the San Diego region. The report looks at NCCP/HCPs and other large scale efforts across the country.
  • Comparative Review of Governance Structures for Ecosystem Management (2006)
  • Appendix A - Profiles of Conservation Programs Surveyed
• The NCCP program has hosted graduate fellows over the last few years to assess portions of the NCCP program. Their reports should assist people who are working on an NCCP by learning from the experiences of others:
  •  Regional Conservation Planning and Local Government Leadership (2004)
  • Increasing Agricultural Community Involvement in Regional Conservation Planning (2003)
  • Roles & Responsibilities of ConsultantsSS in Developing NCCP/HCPs (2002)
  • Improving Public Outreach and Education for Natural Community Conservation Planning (2000)
• DFG partnered on a collaborative project with U.S. Geological Survey (Biological Resources Division), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to produce a guidance document entitled "Designing Monitoring Programs in an Adaptive Management Context for Regional Multiple Species Conservation Plans" (2004). The intent of this document is to provide background and recommendations for designing monitoring programs in an adaptive management context, based upon lessons learned from southern California NCCP/HCPs and other ecosystem monitoring programs around the world. It should not be interpreted as an official agency directive, but rather as advice that can help new monitoring programs take advantage of and improve upon previous efforts.
• The NCCP program has developed a summary of the NCCP Process and a list of the Lessons Learned from Regional Conservation Planning Efforts (2003).

• The California Research Bureau of the California State Library has released two reports about the  NCCP program. The first report reviews the legislative history of the NCCP program and its formative years of implementation. The second report discusses the continuing challenges facing NCCP in the context of feasibility, scientific basis, and stakeholder acceptance. The reports were prepared at the request of Senator Byron Sher.
  • Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP): The Origins of an Ambitious Experiment to Protect Ecosystems (2001) (PDF)
  • The Future of Habitat Conservation? The NCCP Experience in Southern California (2001) (PDF)
• NCCP General Process Guidelines (1998)
  **Note - Except as provided in Fish and Game Code section 2830, these guidelines are superceded by the NCCP Act of 2002 (Fish & Game Code, Section 2800 et seq.).
• Draft - Research Guidance to Address the Needs of Land Managers (1997)
• Bibliographies on Coastal Sage Scrub and Related Malacophyllous Shrublands of Other Mediterranean-Type Climates
• Southern California CSS NCCP Process Guidelines
  **Note - Except as provided in Fish and Game Code section 2830, these guidelines are superceded by the NCCP Act of 2002 (Fish & Game Code,  Section 2800 et seq.).
• Southern California CSS NCCP Conservation Guidelines

Related Publications

• A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California