Wildlife Habitat

Cross Referenced Case Studies:

>>Sierra Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)

Wildlife Habitat is essential to forest health. Healthy forests have a combination of varied ages and species of plants, fish and animals that have different but compatible and symbiotic water and nutrient needs. They hold complementary stocking levels of each to feed forest soils that hold root systems in place. These root systems in turn hold the soils in place to prevent them from being washed downstream. Healthy forests depend for their very survival on adequate stocking levels and appropriate species composition of wildlife.

As seasons and overall climate changes, species migrate: plants, slowly: wildlife, more quickly. Wildlife corridors that facilitate wildlife migration also provide a means for wildlife to transport plant seeds to new areas.

For these reasons, wildlife habitat conservation in forest ecosystems requires understanding and integrated management of everything that affects wildlife both native to the forest and migrating through it. A vast undertaking, wildlife biologists usually focus on monitoring, research and advocacy related directly to their species of interest and its habitat.

Management Indicator Species are species whose habitat requirements and conditions are used to predict future habitat quality for similar species

In this category we highlight projects and organizations that improve wildlife habitat by collaborating to improve forest health.

Other terms and tools used in this category:environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=399

The Federal Endangered Species Act and its ESA Programs -including new "market-based habitat credits," and the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) protect species and their habitats that are on the brink of extinction.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) identifies four Trustee Agencies that have certain jurisdiction over natural resources held in trust for the people of the State of California. California Dept. of Fish and Game is the Trust Agency that “must be notified of CEQA documents regarding projects involving fish and wildlife of the state, rare and endangered native plants, wildlife areas, and ecological reserves. (CA Fish and Game Code Section 1802).

Safe Harbor Agreements allow a property owner who enters into voluntary conservation activities to be issued an “enhancement of survival permit” to maintain agreed-upon baseline conditions for listed species as of the end of the time-limited agreement. During the term of the agreement, species are expected to receive a “net conservation benefit” even if their numbers fluctuate.

The NCRS Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) offers private landowners and tribal lands financial assistance: up to 75% of cost share, and technical assistance to establish wildlife habitat development practices.