Embedded Files
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Summary of Conservation Objectives
Summary of Conservation Objectives
Overall Vision ... Strike a balance between maintaining a vigorous and fiscally responsible economy and preserving our natural and cultural heritage.
Overall Vision ... Strike a balance between maintaining a vigorous and fiscally responsible economy and preserving our natural and cultural heritage.
Biological Goal ... 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.
Biological Goal ... 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.
Driver(s) of Conservation Efforts
Driver(s) of Conservation Efforts
The 1997 endangered species listing of the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl was the catalyst that brought new life to on-going discussions about growth and development in Pima County. This was the beginning of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan where the conservation community, development interests, and county officials would come together to address issues of continued growth, resource conservation, and federal regulatory compliance.
The 1997 endangered species listing of the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl was the catalyst that brought new life to on-going discussions about growth and development in Pima County. This was the beginning of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan where the conservation community, development interests, and county officials would come together to address issues of continued growth, resource conservation, and federal regulatory compliance.
The dialogue is ever-present with the conservation community advocating for environmental concerns; the development community pressing for economic opportunities and regulatory certainty; and the ranching community advancing the preservation of cattle ranching and rural landscapes.
The dialogue is ever-present with the conservation community advocating for environmental concerns; the development community pressing for economic opportunities and regulatory certainty; and the ranching community advancing the preservation of cattle ranching and rural landscapes.
The most recent accomplishment that, in part, provides for all these perspectives is the Multi-Species Conservation Plan that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service approved in 2016. It took 16 years and enormous public participation (including an 82-member Steering Committee), but the county is now able to provide development with a simple means of complying with the Endangered Species Act while providing mitigation that responds to our local goals for resource conservation and landscape preservation.
The most recent accomplishment that, in part, provides for all these perspectives is the Multi-Species Conservation Plan that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service approved in 2016. It took 16 years and enormous public participation (including an 82-member Steering Committee), but the county is now able to provide development with a simple means of complying with the Endangered Species Act while providing mitigation that responds to our local goals for resource conservation and landscape preservation.
Basic Statistics
Basic Statistics
Land area of region: Pima County is approx.imately 9,300 sq-miles (3,700 sq-miles Tribal lands)
Population: 1.02 million
Number of states: 1 State (Arizona), 2 Tribal Nations (Tohono O’odham, Pascua Yaqui)
Number of cities: 5 (Towns of Oro Valley, Marana, Sahuarita, South Tucson, and City of Tucson)
Proportion of privately owned v publicly owned land in the region:
29.5% Federal
14.3% State Trust Lands**
2.0% County
0.9% Municipal
42.1% Tribal
1.0% Other
10.2% Private
**Note: State Trust Land is leased and sold for development, and is not considered “public” land. As such, public land totals 32%; non-public (ie open for development) totals 24%, minus a small amount of state park land. Tribal lands total 42%
Amount (area) of land protected to date: Over 2,600 sq-miles million acres is under some sort of federal, state, or local protected status, including 380 sq-miles under Pima County’s protection.
Goal for amount (area) of protected land: Quantitative goals vary by Conservation Lands System designation:
Important Riparian Areas = conserve at least 95% of the total acreage lands with this designation in a natural or undisturbed condition.
Biological Core Management Areas = conserve at least 80% of the total acreage of lands with this designation as undisturbed natural open space.
Multiple Use Management Areas = conserve at least 66.66% of the total acreage of lands with this designation as undisturbed natural open space.
Special Species Management Areas = conserve at least 80% of the total acreage of lands with this designation as undisturbed natural open space and conserve, restore, or enhance habitat for Special Species.
Critical Landscape Connections = remove barriers that inhibit the movement of native fauna and pollination of native flora across and through the landscape; restore fragmented corridors of native biological communities.
Image Credits
Image Credits
Tucson, from Sentinel Peak Park - George Hess
Conservation Lands System map - Pima County
Oracle Road wildlife overpass - Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection
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