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- All Subjects: Desert conservation
- All Subjects: Gay columns in newspapers
- Resource Type: Text
Over the past decade, a number of high-profile, regional-scale habitat conservation plans have been developed by local governments to address the conflict between the Endangered Species Act and land use planning issues. Three of these planning efforts are compared based on Pima County's specific experience.
Pima County is now finalizing the long-awaited Multi-species Conservation Plan, which, if approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will streamline public-sector and private-sector development compliance with the Endangered Species Act while protecting endangered species and their habitats. In the coming months, the public will have a chance to comment on the MSCP through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s formal public comment process before it goes to the County Board of Supervisors for final adoption.This report reviews the history of the MSCP, its relationship with the award-winning Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, what benefits the MSCP will bring to the community, and what obligations the County, developers, and the taxpayers will have over time. The report also highlights other benefits of conservation actions undertaken by Pima County, including economic, recreation, and health benefits.
The purpose of this report is to highlight lands acquired with 1997 and 2004 voter-approved bond funds, provide a historical record of Pima County’s land conservation efforts and consider how these properties contribute to Pima County’s long-term vision – the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. The report also provides a special feature on the evolution of conservation and land use planning in Pima County.
The spread of invasive species creates serious environmental problems as well as economic hazards for residents and will hamper implementation of parts of the SDCP.
Two additional sets of fact sheets that describe the threatened, endangered, and priority vulnerable species of Pima County. For each plant or animal there is a physical description and full color illustration. The habitat, range, diet, status, and history of each species is also outlined. These fact sheets will be widely distributed through the youth participation program.
Communities, states, and countries all over the world are using a type of reporting called "state of the environment" to provide a summary of the status and trends of key natural resources across and within various regions. Specifically, the purpose of a state of the environment report is to describe and monitor the health of the environment in terms of key indicators.
Recommends where riparian land acquisitions would be most effective in serving as mitigation that would cover all priority vulnerable species identified in the SDCP. Priority is given to reaches of watercourses.
Since habitat loss and fragmentation by roads and other infrastructure pose major challenges to wildlife movement in these areas, high priority should be given to identifying, preserving, and reconnecting habitat linkages.