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Habitat Conservation Plan Overview

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Stanford University, partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The primary goals of the plan are to stabilize or increase the populations of the covered species on Stanford land and to enhance and protect their habitat, including riparian vegetation, creeks, grasslands, and seasonal wetlands. In doing so, the HCP will benefit these species.

A Habitat Conservation Plan is part of a process outlined by Section 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act. Congress adopted Section 10 to promote creative partnerships between public and private sectors and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the interest of species and habitat conservation. The HCP outlines what Stanford, as the landowner, will do to minimize or mitigate the impact of its activities on federally protected species. In turn, the USFWS issued a long-term incidental take permit that authorizes take associated with otherwise lawful activities. These activities are related to academic uses, general campus management and maintenance, redevelopment, future development, and even the conservation programs.

Stanford Habitat Conservation Plan Goals

  • Comply with the federal Endangered Species Act
  • Support Stanford's mission as a research and teaching institution
  • Coordinate multiple conservation actions
  • Provide a 50-year framework to plan for future land use and to promote all phases of conservation

Stanford Habitat Conservation Plan Strategies

  • Concentrate conservation efforts in high-priority areas
  • Establish long-term habitat protection
  • Protect and restore riparian areas
  • Enhance habitat areas
  • Implement a conservation credit system
  • Perform monitoring and adaptive management practices

Examples of Conservation Actions

  • Establish easements over large areas of the highest quality habitats and manage them for the benefit of the covered species
  • Establish no-build zones
  • Monitor species and habitat conditions
  • Construct California tiger salamander and California red-legged frog breeding ponds