Progress towards the SDCP...
The SDCP is being touted as the best conservation plan in the nation.
This landmark effort began in 1998, and since that time the County has been gathering information and developing policies to create the best plan possible. Pima County established several advisory committees to provide input to the Board of Supervisors, who will ultimately vote on the final SDCP to be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approval. Through the information-gathering process, more than 200 reports on the SDCP have been created. Since that time the county has begun conservation through the use of the Conservation Land System and Open Space acquisitions.
Conservation Land System (CLS) guidelines were adopted by the Board of Supervisors in June 2005. These guidelines call for a percentage of the land to be designated permanently as Open Space if the land is upzoned for development purposes. If that percentage is not met by the developer, lands offsite must be purchased to offset the disturbance to land within the CLS.
Open Space acquisitions are happening right now with the over $174 million from the 2004 bond election. These purchases, along with set asides from the CLS guidelines, will begin to create a preserve that will ensure the viability of the desert as a whole, as well as keep intact the beautiful views found here in Pima County.
To ensure that the preserve that is created in Pima County does not consist of isolated islands of protected areas the Coalition is working to create and protect Critical Landscape Linkages. These linkages are necessary to allow movement of animals throughout the region, while keeping them away from highly populated areas. Free movement throughout the region will ensure that species genetics remain strong and viable. The Coalition is currently working with the Conservation Acquisition Commission (CAC), the citizen advisory commission charged with making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors concerning open space purchases, and the County to ensure that these linkages are acquired and protected using bond funds, which are all under immediate threat of developed.
The Coalition is also advocating for the improvement and simplification of land use codes and the adoption of ordinances concerning land use. Previous and current drafts of the SDCP state that the County's natural resources will be protected. However, without ordinances ensuring that future development is consistent with the plan and without adequate funding and proper plans for management and monitoring of conserved lands, there is no guarantee that this protection will occur.
We have seen other plans like the SDCP fall short because of the lack of on-the-ground measures that provide real conservation, and we are working hard to make sure that the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan lives up to the County's overarching purpose of the plan to "ensure the long-term survival of the full spectrum of plants and animals that are indigenous to Pima County through maintaining or improving the habitat conditions and ecosystem functions necessary for their survival."
Although much has been accomplished to conserve our desert home, there is still much to do before the final implementation of the SDCP.
Page last modified: April 19, 2006 at 04:29 PM