Type: report

Article abstract: The MHCP was designed to “maintain connections between each of the major lagoon and estuary systems with larger blocks of inland habitats to allow movement of wildlife species” and allow for “demographic and genetic exchange by all species between preserve areas…to facilitate access by larger predators…between upland scrub and chaparral habitats and coastal habitats.” (MHCP, 2003). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of that design, the MHCP identifies several priority monitoring locations to establish where major constraints to mammal movement exist; some of these locations are within the HMP area. Tiering off of the MHCP, a key objective of the HMP is to “maintain functional wildlife corridors and habitat linkages within the city and to the region” (HMP, 2004). The design of the preserve system is based upon the HMP Focus Planning Area, which identified eight core habitat areas connected by six linkage areas (Figure 2). Currently 6,143 of the target 6,478-acre preserve (95%) has been conserved.