Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MCB Camp Pendleton, California
1. The plan provides a conservation benefit to the species. The cumulative benefits
of the management activities identified in a management plan, for the length of the
plan, must maintain or provide for an increase in a species’ population, or the
enhancement or restoration of its habitat within the area covered by the plan (i.e., those
areas deemed essential to the conservation of the species). A conservation benefit may
result from reducing fragmentation of habitat, maintaining or increasing populations,
insuring against catastrophic events, enhancing and restoring habitats, buffering
protected areas, or testing and implementing new conservation strategies.
2. The plan provides certainty that the management plan will be implemented.
Persons charged with plan implementation are capable of accomplishing the objectives
of the management plan and have adequate funding for the management plan. They
have the authority to implement the plan and have obtained all the necessary
authorizations or approvals. An implementation schedule (including completion dates)
for the conservation effort is provided in the plan.
3. The plan provides certainty that the conservation effort will be effective. The
following criteria will be considered when determining the effectiveness of the
conservation effort. The plan includes: 1) biological goals (broad guiding principles for
the program) and objectives (measurable targets for achieving the goals);
2) quantifiable, scientifically valid parameters that will demonstrate achievement of
objectives and standards for identifying these parameters by which progress will be
measured; 3) provisions for monitoring and where appropriate, adaptive management;
4) provisions for reporting progress on implementation (based on compliance with the
implementation schedule) and effectiveness (based on evaluation of quantifiable
parameters) of the conservation effort; and 5) a duration sufficient to implement the
plan and achieve the benefits of its goals and objectives.
Camp Pendleton’s INRMP meets these three criteria for all federally listed species except
the California brown pelican, which is currently proposed for federal delisting.
3.2.5.1. For Criterion 1 (The plan provides a conservation benefit to the species)
While Camp Pendleton developed its management programs and INRMP to focus on
ecosystems (riparian, beach, estuarine and upland) on the Base, these plans were developed
in coordination with the USFWS and finalized with the issuance of BOs under Section 7 of
the ESA for each species covered. The conservation plans that were consulted contain
species-specific management requirements for individual species as well as the ecosystem
that provides management benefit to multiple species using the same ecosystem. These
plans are fully incorporated in and provide the backbone of Camp Pendleton’s INRMP.
The objective of these plans is to increase the quantity and quality of habitat in these
ecosystems that is available for use by species (especially but not exclusively, federally
listed species). In the case of the LBV, southwestern willow flycatcher, California least tern
and the western snowy plover, specific population minimums have been established for
individual species (see Section 4.3.2.1, Table 4-2). Key aspects of these programs are the
removal of exotic flora and fauna throughout the ecosystems on Base (and in some cases,
off Base) in a systematic manner and the prevention of re-infestation. Additionally, usable
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