ABSTRACT
Historically, California has been in the forefront of state initiatives on biodiversity preservation and species conservation. In the same vein, California’s Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) program represents an unprecedented state effort, in cooperation with private and public partners, to implement a broad-based ecosystem approach to land-use planning for the protection and perpetuation of biological diversity. The NCCP program identifies and provides for a comprehensive regional approach to protecting plants, animals, and their habitats, while allowing appropriate and compatible economic activity. The California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act (NCCP Act) (California Fish and Game Code Section (§)2800 et. seq.) 1 was enacted into law in 1991, and the responsibility to implement it rests with the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG).
