Conservation Framework
Key Open Space Stakeholder Organizations A list of important stakeholder organizations for
SCAG to consultant during the open space planning process.
Involvement from additional stakeholder organizations is strongly
encouraged.
Natural Resource Science Experts List A list of scientists whose research provides
scientific information regarding natural resources in the SCAG
region.
Existing Information and Data Gaps for Natural Resources Report Provides a summary of the information gathered in
support of expanding SCAG’s GIS database for resources relevant
to natural resources planning for open space in the six-county
SCAG region.
Inventory of Natural Resources Databases in SCAG Region An inventory of the publically available open space
data and data sources relevant to conservation and mitigation
planning in the SCAG region. The databases include information
covering the entire SCAG region, individual counties, or portions
of counties.
Conservation Framework & Assessment Outlines a regional natural resource conservation
approach that accounts for impacts and improvements in a
consistent manner across all habitats and landscapes. This
assessment also includes a multi-species habitat evaluation
method, the Combined Habitat Assessment Protocol (CHAP), at the
regional scale and at a local, pilot scale.
Green Infrastructure
Measuring
the Economic Value of A City Park System (2009) A report
on the economic value that cities and urban residents receive
from their park and recreation syst
US EPA: Green
Infrastructure Green infrastructure information by the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
More Green
Infrastructure Resources Recommended green infrastructure
resources and links from the Green Infrastructure Center.
Green
Infrastructure Strategy A resource on items to consider for
creating a green infrastructure strategy. Recommendations on
policy considerations by the European Commission.
Natural Lands
California Protected Areas
Database (CPAD) A GIS inventory of all protected park
and open space lands in California, held in fee ownership by
public agencies and non-profits.
USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP) GAP identifies
conservation gaps and maintains four primary data sets – land
cover, protected areas, species, and aquatic resources –
available for public use.
Ecological Principles for Managing Land Use Key ecological principles for land use and management
from The Ecological Society of America’s Committee on Land Use.
Agricultural Lands
California
Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Statistics for
California’s agricultural industry can be found at the CDFA
website.
California
Dept of Conservation: Division of Land Resource Protection
(DLRP) DLRP works to conserve California’s agricultural
resources. They implement the California Farmland Conservancy
Program (CFCP) that encourages permanent farmland conservation
through easements and the Williamson Act Program, voluntary
agreements to restrict development of agricultural lands in
exchange for tax reductions.
Farmland
Mapping & Monitoring Program (FMMP) The FMMP provides
maps and statistical data on California’s agricultural resources.
Agricultural land maps are updated every two years.
MOCA: The Measure of California Agriculture (2009) Documents California agriculture and its
relationship to the rest of the economy.
At Risk: Ventura County’s Open Space and Farmlands (2012) This report analyzes the challenges of preserving
Ventura County’s open space and agricultural lands and details
actions needed to ensure their long-term preservation.
Urban Forests & Community Parks
City of
Santa Monica Urban Forest Master Plan The master plan
establishes the vision for perpetuating and enhancing
the city’s urban forest. It provides a comprehensive
guide on local ecosystems, appropriate tree
species, maintenance practices, watering
and other considerations.
i-Tree A
state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA
Forest Service that provides urban and community forestry
analysis and benefits assessment tools. iTree Tools are in the
public domain and are freely accessible. Learn more about
i-Tree.
USDA
Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Resources on
urban forests from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest
Service.
Healthy Parks, Schools and Communities: Mapping Green Access and Equity for Southern California This report from The City Project maps and analyzes
park access and equity in nine counties in Southern California -
Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, San
Diego, Kern, Santa Barbara and Imperial. The maps in this report
plot green space in relation to population and other metrics to
measure accessibility, such as distance to the park.
2012 Regional Transportation Plan / Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) Environmental Justice Appendix
Ecosystem Services
Ecological Society of America Fact Sheet on Ecosystem Services
Loss of Wild Insects Hurts Crops Around the World (Feb 28, 2013) An article detailing the importance of wild
insects to agriculture.
USDA Forest
Service Valuing Ecosystem Services United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service website provides
additional references on ecosystem services including carbon
sequestration, watershed services, biodiversity, and neighborhood
trees.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report (2005) The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was carried out
between 2001 and 2005 to assess the consequences of ecosystem
change for human well-being and to establish the scientific basis
for actions needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable
use of ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being.
Ecosystem Services in Urban Areas (1999) A short paper
analyzing ecosystem services in urban areas using Stockholm,
Sweden as a model.
Ecosystem Services: A Guide For Decision-Makers (2008) This guide for the public sector provides
guidelines on how to take ecosystem services into account in
economic and social strategies. It introduces various methods to
link ecosystems and development, including an ecosystem services
framework, trends analyses, ecosystem service mapping, scenario
planning, and a portfolio of policy options targeted at
sustaining ecosystem services. Click here for
Click here for Quick Guide.
Biodiversity
California
Department of Fish and Wildlife: Threatened and Endangered
Species
Why is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares? Resource on
the importance of biodiversity.
Mitigation Strategies
Conservation Easements The Land Trust Alliance provides
a good overview of how conservation easements work.
National
Conservation Easement Database (NCED) A national
database of conservation easement information that makes easement
data publicly available for download. The NCED does not collect
landowner names or sensitive information.
Conservation Planning in California A resource from the
Institute of Ecological Health on conservation planning in
California.
Natural
Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) Learn about NCCPs
from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Habitat
Conservation Planning (HCP) Learn about HCPs from the US
Fish & Wildlife Service.
Transfer of Development Rights A discussion of transfer
of development rights programs including TDR history, mechanics
of implementing a TDR, TDR advantages and challenges.
Transfer of Development Rights in U.S. Communities (2007) An in-depth report on TDRs from Resources for
the Future.
Advance Mitigation Planning
Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects Eco-Logical puts forth the conceptual groundwork for
integrating plans across agency boundaries, and endorses
ecosystem-based mitigation.
Breaking the Environmental Gridlock – Advance Mitigation Programs for Ecological Impacts (2010) This article provides case studies of four programs
that illustrate how various agencies are incorporating advance
mitigation into their infrastructure planning and implementation.
Early Mitigation for Net Environmental Benefit (2005) This report provides guidance on the development and
implementation of successful alternative/early mitigation
strategies to address environmental goals.
