Strengths and Weaknesses of HCPs
The environmental community and landowners take different stands on HCPs.
Strengths:
- Flexible to accommodate a wide range of projects that vary greatly in size and scope.
- Forces consideration of species by all parties.
- Reduced uncertainty for landowners.
Weaknesses:
- Inflexible with regards to changing knowledge relating to species and habitat.
- The “No Surprises Policy” has been highly controversial with critics arguing that it burdens the agencies, rather than landowners, with additional financial and mitigation responsibilities if unforeseen circumstances arise.
- HCPs are viewed as having weak and insufficient monitoring plans. Additionally, the parties responsible for monitoring HCPs are not regulated in a systematic manner due to private funding.
- Criticism over scientific standards and limited credible scientific data.
- Agencies have interpreted the role of HCPs under section 10(a) of the ESA as a means to contribute to survival of species but not as a recovery tool. The Habitat Conservation Planning Handbook is inconsistent with this stand and states that “…contribution to recovery is often an integral product of an HCP…” and in general, conservation plans that are not consistent with recovery plan objectives should be discouraged”.
Read more about this topic: Habitat Conservation Plan
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