A long-awaited conservation plan proposed for the threatened desert tortoise aims to balance species protection with streamlined federal permitting across parts of a 15 million-acre Southern California region ripe with energy and commercial potential.
Following earlier stops and starts, the proposed plan is described by the Fish and Wildlife Service as an improvement over the “lengthy and complicated processing” of certain permits needed under the Endangered Species Act.
“The general conservation plan will advance desert tortoise conservation by working with project proponents to direct mitigation to focused areas that have more protection and higher quality habitat,” Peter Sanzenbacher, a Fish and Wildlife Service Mojave Desert Division supervisor, said in a statement.
Sanzenbacher added that the proposed plan would “create a more consistent approach rather than working on a case-by-case basis, and allow more staff time for on-the-ground conservation work for the desert tortoise.”
