The San Diego region is one of the most biologically diverse places in the continental United States. Local agencies in the region have prepared subregional Multiple Species/Habitat Conservation Plans under the State of California’s Natural Communities Conservation Program (NCCP). These plans are designed for the long-term protection of plant and animal species and their habitats, while fostering economic growth and development in the region.

Plans include the Metro/South County Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP), encompassing seven North County cities, which SANDAG approved in 1997; the Multiple Habitat Conservation Plan (MHCP) approved in 2003; and the North and East County MSCP Subareas, which are still in the planning stages.

Under these plans, local agencies are required to prepare annual reports that track habitats lost and conserved over time due to public and private development projects and to track the assembly of the habitat preserve system. The purpose of these reports is to demonstrate that habitat loss is occurring in roughly the same proportion as development.

HabiTrak is an easy-to-use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) extension that can be used to prepare these reports. It was developed cooperatively in 1998 -1999 by the wildlife agencies (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game), local jurisdictions, special districts, and SANDAG specifically to meet the NCCP reporting requirements. It uses standard baseline databases and standard methods for users to input development and conservation project footprints to prepare the required tables and maps for the annual reports.

HabiTrak has been successfully used by the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego since 1999 to prepare their subarea habitat tracking reports. It will be implemented at other local agencies as subarea plans are prepared and approved. The wildlife agencies want HabiTrak to become a model for California and be used by agencies that have habitat tracking and reporting requirements.

Wildlife agencies provided the funding required to develop and maintain HabiTrak, while local agencies have agreed to use it to prepare their annual habitat tracking reports. SANDAG has assisted the wildlife and local agencies with the maintenance, implementation, and expansion of HabiTrak throughout the region.

Project Manager: Sue Carnavale
(619) 699-1981