CONSERVATION STRATEGY Clause Samples

CONSERVATION STRATEGY. 6.1 The MSHCP is intended to conserve adequate habitat in an unfragmented manner to provide for the protection and security of long-term viable populations of the species that are either currently listed as threatened or endangered, are proposed for listing, or are believed to have a high probability of being proposed for listing in the future if not protected by the Plan. The MSHCP is intended to preserve biological diversity as well as maintain the quality of life within the Coachella Valley and surrounding mountains by conserving species and their associated habitats and coordinating, streamlining and planning Development. By adopting this regional approach, the MSHCP will result in much greater and more biologically effective Habitat and species Conservation than a project-by-project approach could produce. The MSHCP is intended to proactively address requirements of the state and federal ESAs to avoid disruption of economic development activities in the Plan Area. 6.2 The MSHCP provides a broad Conservation Strategy, which will be implemented generally through the following: A. As set forth in Section 4.0 of the MSHCP, the MSHCP Reserve System shall be approximately 745,900 acres and will consist of Existing Conservation Lands, lands conserved through Complementary Conservation and Additional Conservation Lands. The MSHCP Reserve System is divided into 21 Conservation Areas that provide Core and other Conserved Habitat for Covered Species, conserve the natural communities B. For each of the Conservation Areas, Conservation Objectives and required measures shall be implemented as set forth in Section 4.3 of the MSHCP. C. New land uses adjacent to or within the MSHCP Conservation Areas shall implement the Land Use Adjacency Guidelines set forth in Section 4.5 of the MSHCP, as applicable. D. The Avoidance, Minimization and Mitigation Measures set forth in Section E. Monitoring and management activities will be undertaken for each of the MSHCP Covered Species. Monitoring and management activities are described in Section 8 of the MSHCP. F. Species-specific Conservation Goals and Objectives shall be implemented for each of the Covered Species in the MSHCP and are set forth in Section 9 of the MSHCP.

CONSERVATION STRATEGY. The Conservation Strategy has been designed to achieve the BDCP’s overall goals of restoring and protecting ecosystem health, water supply, and water quality in the Delta within a stable regulatory framework. The Conservation Strategy has been developed to meet the regulatory standards of Sections 7 and 10 of the ESA and the NCCPA. The BDCP describes the intended biological outcomes of the Conservation Strategy and details the means by which these outcomes will be achieved. The Conservation Strategy includes biological goals and objectives and conservation actions that appropriately minimize and mitigate the potential effects of Covered Activities and Associated Federal Actions on these resources and provides for the conservation and management of Covered Species and the natural communities upon which they depend. The Conservation Strategy also includes comprehensive programs for adaptive management, monitoring, and research. Additional details regarding the BDCP Conservation Strategy are found in Chapter 3 of the BDCP.

CONSERVATION STRATEGY. The 2020 DSL CCAA is a conservation strategy and suite of Conservation Measures specifically designed to reduce or eliminate threats to an unlisted species on non- Federal property in West Texas and thereby augment viable populations, in the absence of any existing regulatory means to address those threats. This 2020 DSL CCAA’s Conservation Strategy will guide the implementation of the Conservation Measures and Actions. The Conservation Strategy was developed in consultation with the FWS. The Strategy sets goals (desired biological outcome for the species), objectives (conditions necessary for achieving the goal in terms of reduction or elimination of threats), and criteria (values for determining that the objectives have been met).

CONSERVATION STRATEGY. The 2020 DSL CCAA’s Conservation Strategy will contribute to the conservation of the DSL by reducing or eliminating threats on Enrolled Property and result in a net conservation benefit to the DSL and its habitat. First, the 2020 DSL CCAA generally requires and incentivizes avoidance of High and Intermediate Suitability Habitat for all Covered Activities with certain exceptions. All New Surface Disturbances will be fully mitigated through the Conservation Action program. Second, habitat degradation and fragmentation, which can be among the principal threats to the DSL in Texas, are reduced by the 2020 DSL CCAA. For example, the 2020 DSL CCAA places an emphasis on avoidance of development in high quality habitat and focuses oil and gas development in areas of degraded habitat (e.g., greater than 13 ▇▇▇▇▇ pads/mi2). This emphasis will reduce the creation of new areas of high-density ▇▇▇▇▇ and, thus, minimize habitat degradation and fragmentation. Third, encouraging avoidance of areas of well densities greater than four and less than 13 well pads/mi2 also should minimize development in areas with the potential to become degraded habitat. Fourth, the CCAA includes a Conservation Strategy calling for well pad removal and reclamation that will reduce well densities in marginal areas of degradation. Moreover, the 2020 DSL CCAA emphasizes the use of Conservation Easements and other protections to create contiguous areas of protected High and Intermediate Suitability DSL Habitat, again reducing the areas of high density and fragmentation of DSL Habitat. Additionally, the 2020 DSL CCAA will fund research to better understand the impacts of well density and roads and to determine whether shinnery oak can be established or reestablished in DSL Habitat, and incorporate through adaptive management and changed circumstances, as appropriate, the results of this research to improve conservation outcomes. Finally, the Administrator may consider implementing, in consultation with FWS, a credit system for the acres of DSL Habitat that may be disturbed by sand mining operations under the 16,560 acre disturbance cap. Under such a system a sand mining Participant would be permitted to sell credits for conservation acres of like DSL Habitat in an Enrolled Property to another enrolled sand mining Participant. Among other things, such a credit system would incentivize enrollment by sand mining operators and provide opportunities for DSL Habitat offsets, including in High Priority A...

CONSERVATION STRATEGY. Restoration

CONSERVATION STRATEGY. NCCP/HCP Section 6 describes a Conservation Strategy that includes: the biological goals and objectives of the NCCP/HCP; avoidance and minimization measures to reduce impacts resulting from Covered Activities; land acquisition and assembly of the Preserve Area; Preserve Area management that includes habitat creation, enhancement and restoration and species population enhancement; Plan Area monitoring and reporting, and adaptive management; and measures described in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement and the NCCP/HCP that contribute to the conservation of Covered Species. As further provided in this Agreement, the NCCP/HCP and the Permits, the Water Authority shall implement every applicable Conservation Measure and other measures described in the NCCP/HCP (including the species-specific measures described in Appendix B of the NCCP/HCP) when engaging in Covered Activities and when otherwise required, as they may be modified through adaptive management, whether or not such measures are specifically referenced in this Agreement. For the purposes of this Agreement, all of these measures are collectively referred to as the “Conservation Strategy.”