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Many states have enacted laws or stated policies for wetland mitigation banking, but only California has done so for conservation banking. In April, 1995, then-governor Pete Wilson established California’s Official Policy on Conservation Banks. Taking the many environmental laws in California that require mitigation, including the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act and the California Endangered Species Act, the policy provides guidance on banking for wetlands, endangered species habitat, and “environmentally sensitive habitat areas” such as mudflats and sub-tidal areas. (See Appendix C for California’s Conservation Banking policy.)

California also employs a system of establishing expected management costs and the size of endowments needed to meet them that is widely used by both public agencies and nonprofit land trusts. Developed by the Center for Natural Lands Management, the system is known as the Property Analysis Record (PAR). The PAR is a computerized database methodology that helps land managers calculate the costs of management for a specific site. The PAR generates a concise report that serves as a well-substantiated basis for long-term funding, including endowments.¹¹

Endnotes

11. Bean, Michael and Dwyer, Lynn. 2000. Mitigation Banking as an Endangered Species Conservation Tool. Environmental Law Reporter 30: 10537-10556.