The Clark County Desert Conservation Program (DCP) is a partnership of local government with public land managers, private landowners, interest groups and individuals that have come together to pursue common conservation goals.  This program proactively protects species, habitats and ecosystems in Clark County.  It helps reduce the likelihood that future species will be listed and ensures Clark County incidental take protection if any of the species covered in the plan should become listed as threatened or endangered.  Clark County administers the program together with a public advisory committee.  The advisory committee provides a forum for public discussion of the scientific, management, economic, and political aspects of conservation.

The program started in 1989 in response to the legal requirements for protection of the Desert Tortoise under the terms of the federal Endangered Species Act.  Clark County took the lead in developing a habitat conservation plan to protect the tortoise.  In 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a permit for land development in the Las Vegas Valley in exchange for implementation of conservation actions described in the plan. Development fees and public land sales pay for the conservation actions.

Since then the program has expanded to cover 78 species of animals and plants, with many more species being evaluated. Conservation actions implemented to date include fencing along roadways, invasive plant and animal control, restoration of native plants, public information and education programs, many research projects, collection of displaced tortoises and translocation of those tortoises back into the wild. 

A variety of ecosystems such as Alpine, Blackbrush, Pinyon-juniper and Sagebrush are provided protection under Clark County’s DCP.  These systems support nearly 4,000 species of plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.  These ecosystems, and the biodiversity of species within these systems and the entire Mojave Desert are critical to the overall health of our environment.  These species depend upon one another for survival, and the interaction of many of these species and their environments makes the continuance of life possible.  Biodiversity is essential to the health and livelihood of all living species, including human beings.

The overall goal of the Desert Conservation Program is to facilitate growth in the community by protecting the health of the desert ecosystem.  The program operates through an adaptive management process.  This process requires conservation actions to be scientifically evaluated for effectiveness.  Conservation actions are then refined to adapt to new information and changing circumstances.  The Clark County Desert Conservation Program is a dynamic and inclusive program that invites everyone to respect, protect and enjoy our desert.

To learn more about the Desert Conservation Program call (702) 383-TORT or check our website http://www.accessclarkcounty.com.

By Christina Gibson, Management Analyst II 
Clark County Desert Conservation Program