AB 498, as introduced, Levine. Wildlife conservation: wildlife corridors.
Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to administer the Significant Natural Areas Program, and requires the department, among other things, to develop and maintain a spatial data system that identifies those areas in the state that are most essential for maintaining habitat connectivity, including wildlife corridors and habitat linkages. Existing law requires the department, contingent upon the provision of certain funding, to investigate, study, and identify those areas in the state that are most essential as wildlife corridors and habitat linkages and prioritize vegetative data development in those areas. Existing law requires the department to seek input from representatives of other state agencies, local government, federal agencies, nongovernmental conservation organizations, landowners, agriculture, recreation, scientific entities, and industry in determining essential wildlife corridors and habitat linkages.
This bill would declare that it is the policy of the state and all state agencies, with regard to a project proposed in an area identified as a wildlife corridor, to encourage the project proponent to consult with the department, and, wherever feasible and practicable, take steps to protect or restore the functioning of the wildlife corridor through various means, as applicable.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1930 of the Fish and Game Code is
2amended to read:
The Legislature finds and declares that:
4(a) Areas containing diverse ecological and geological
5characteristics are vital to the continual health and well being of
6the state’s natural resources and of its citizens.
7(b) Many habitats and ecosystems that constitute the state’s
8natural diversity are in danger of being lost.
9(c) Connectivity between wildlife habitats is important to the
10long-term viability of the state’s biodiversity.
11(d) Increasingly fragmented habitats threaten the state’s wildlife
12species.
13(e) There is insufficient incentive for private landowners to
14maintain and perpetuate significant local natural areas in their
15natural state.
16(f) Efforts to preserve natural areas have been fragmented
17between federal, state, local, and private sectors.
18(g) Analysis of the state’s habitat connectivity benefits from the
19consideration of all relevant data, including information from
20private and public landowners.
21(h) Thebegin delete Department of Fish and Game’send deletebegin insert department’send insert existing
22mapping activities and products should be developed and sustained.
23(i) The importance of wildlife corridors to assist in adapting to
24climate change has been recognized by such groups as the Western
25Governor’s Association, which unanimously approved a policy to
26protect wildlife migration corridors and crucial wildlife habitat
27in 2007. Individual local, state, and federal agencies have also
28adopted policies aimed at protecting wildlife corridors and
29restoring habitat connectivity, in order to protect ecosystem health
30and biodiversity and to improve the resiliency of wildlife and their
31habitats to climate change. However, these efforts could be
32enhanced through establishment of a statewide policy to protect
P3 1and restore important wildlife corridors and habitat linkages where
2feasible.
Section 1930.5 of the Fish and Game Code is amended
4to read:
(a) Contingent upon funding being provided by the
6Wildlife Conservation Board from moneys available pursuant to
7Section 75055 of the Public Resources Code, or from other
8appropriate bond funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the
9department shall investigate, study, and identify those areas in the
10state that are most essential as wildlife corridors and habitat
11linkages, as well as the impacts to thosebegin insert wildlifeend insert corridors from
12climate change, and shall prioritize vegetative data development
13in these areas.
14(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Wildlife
15Conservation Board use various funds to work with
the department
16to complete a statewide analysis ofbegin insert
wildlifeend insert corridors and
17connectivity to support conservation planning and climate change
18adaptation activities.
19(c) It is the policy of the state to promote the protection of
20wildlife corridors and habitat linkages in order to enhance the
21resiliency of wildlife and their habitats to climate change, protect
22biodiversity, and allow for the migration and movement of species
23by providing connectivity between habitat lands. In order to further
24these goals, it is the policy of the state and all state agencies, with
25regard to a project proposed in an area identified as a wildlife
26corridor, to encourage the project proponent to consult with the
27department, and, wherever feasible and practicable, take steps to
28protect or restore the functioning of the wildlife corridor through
29various means, as applicable. Those means may include, but
are
30not necessarily limited to, acquisition or protection of wildlife
31corridors as open space through conservation easements, installing
32of wildlife friendly fencing, and provision of roadway
33undercrossings and oversized culverts and bridges to allow for
34movement of wildlife between habitat areas, as applicable.
35(d) For purposes of this chapter, “wildlife corridor” means a
36habitat linkage that joins two or more areas of wildlife habitat,
37allowing for the movement of wildlife from one area to another.
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