Cross-Border, Nature Based Market Solutions to Protect Blue Carbon Coastal Ecosystems in the Californias

March 2022

the wetlands in Southern California exist under very disturbed conditions, often surrounded by extensive urban development—as in the case of the Orange County Wetlands and San Diego Bay. Today, the primary value of Southern California's coastal wetlands is its habitat and its role in maintaining biodiversity. Beyond, Southern California’s immediate coastal zone, in inland areas where the marine layer reaches the foothills and canyons, coastal sage scrub (also referred to as soft chaparral) can also be found. Similarly, due to urbanization, 90% of Southern California’s total coastal sage scrub has already been lost. Coastal sage scrub is a critical habitat for the Coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). 35 Historically, Southern California accounted for between 65-70% of the California gnatcatcher geographic range. Today, however, it is believed that only about 41% of the species is found in Southern California, with the remaining 59% located south of the border, in northern Baja California. 36 Although conservation remains a priority in Southern California, only 10% of critical habitats in Los Angeles County are located within a protected area. Furthermore, according to UCLA’s Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, a protected area “remains an ambiguous term,” 37 since not all protected areas are managed the same way. 38 35 Climate change vulnerability assessment for the Southern California Climate Adaptation Project, EcoAdapt, 2017, page 2. http://ecoadapt.org/data/documents/EcoAdapt_SoC alVASynthesis_SageScrub_FINAL2017.pdf 36 Department of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Plants: Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 243,, Wednesday, December 17, 2007, page 72010. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2007-12 19/pdf/07-6003.pdf#page=2

That said, recent efforts have been made to restore the Los Angeles River. 39

In addition, in the Los Angeles County, a Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) is now in the process of implementation by the City of Rancho Palo Verde that would set aside 568 hectares for conservation in order to protect 10 targeted species. Of that total, 298 ha (736.3 acres) of land are specifically conserved to protect the California coastal gnatcatcher. 40 Similar NCCP plans have also been implemented by the Counties of Orange and San Diego, with 15,650 ha (38,671.9 acres) and 87 ha (215 acres) protected respectively. 41 Although new coastal development projects across the State of California are closely managed by the California Coastal Commission (CCC) under the authority of the California Coastal Act, due to the state’s competing development pressures, some of its most ecologically fragile coastal wetlands remain at risk. As a case in point, the recently approved Chula Vista Convention Center project planned along the southern tidelands of San Diego Bay will directly impact the habitats of the several resident and 37 LA Biodiversity Atlas, UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, 2021 https://biodiversityla.org/conservation/critical habitat/ 38 LA Biodiversity Atlas, UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, 2021, “Protected Areas,” https://biodiversityla.org/conservation/protected areas/. 39 https://lariver.org/blog/la-river-ecosystem restoration 40 Mayer, Audrey L. Bird versus Bulldozer, Table 6.1: Statistics of the NCCP Plan for Southern California. Yale University Press. Kindle Edition. 41 Ibid.

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