Habitat Conservation
Assistance Network
Proactive Conservation for Working Lands

The Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority (RCA) formed in 2004 to achieve one of America’s most ambitious environmental efforts, the Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). Our mission is to establish a 500,000-acre habitat reserve to protect, restore, and enhance habitats for the conservation of 146 species while expediting construction of needed infrastructure, particularly transportation, and providing certainty in the development process. As the nation’s largest habitat conservation plan, the MSHCP strengthens the sustainability and quality of life in Western Riverside County by alleviating traffic congestion, protecting natural resources and improving air quality. The MSHCP provides Endangered Species Act coverage under a single permit for critical wildlife areas, which helps accelerate the construction of freeway and road projects by as much as five years, saving taxpayers more than $500 million. Acquiring reserve lands is RCA’s core activity. RCA also:

• Manages the lands it acquires to ensure animals and plants thrive
• Monitors “habitat loss” and the behavior and welfare of protected plants and animals
• Reviews applications for infrastructure or development projects
• Publishes an annual report.

Contact Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority

Listed as:

• Conservation Groups and Associations