SDG&E Habitat Conservation Plan
Overview
San Diego is one of the most biodiverse regions in North America, featuring numerous urban canyons, world-famous coastlines, scenic lagoons and rivers and thousands of acres of open space that provide habitat for dozens of rare, threatened and endangered species. That is why SDG&E became the first utility company in California to voluntarily develop a Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP)/Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) under the federal Endangered Species Act and state Natural Communities Conservation Plan Act in 1995.
In 2023, SDG&E began operating under an HCP Amendment, which modernizes the company’s successful approach to habitat conservation planning, leveraging more years of experience and expanding environmental and species protections across the full-service territory.
HCP Project Benefits
Our goals for biodiversity and environmental stewardship vary by project and include:
- No net loss of wetlands or waters, including along the coast or sensitive upland vegetation communities, habitats and rare plants
- Net improvement in ecological conditions for any sensitive habitats that may have been temporarily impacted by operations
- Enhancement of existing habitats and the establishment of permanently protected preserves for important local animal species
- Net benefit to species listed as threatened or endangered by state or federal authorities, including the California Least Tern, an endangered migratory seabird that nests along our sandy coasts
About the HCP Project
SDG&E’s robust environmental stewardship efforts include a comprehensive avian protection program, vegetation management best practices that strive to reduce invasive weeds and a holistic approach to habitat restoration. These programs are designed to preserve, restore and enhance natural resources where SDG&E operates to sustain local populations of plants and wildlife both now and in the future.
HCP Project Schedule and Map
Habitat Conservation Plan documents
More Information
If you have questions, please email [email protected].