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The Irvine Ranch Land Reserve
Conservation Cooperation in an Urban Landscape
For 136 years, the Irvine Ranch and its rugged, scenic canyons were off limits to all but cattle, cowboys and descendants of its namesake – rancher James Irvine. In 1992, much of this private Orange County wilderness was opened to public use, offering its urban neighbors the opportunity to explore coastal sage scrub and oak woodland habitats that have nearly disappeared from southern California.
This land sharing came about as a result of an unprecedented partnership between a private landowner, The Irvine Company, and The Nature Conservancy. The Irvine Company – a land developer in Orange County, CA – established the 50,000-acre Irvine Ranch Land Reserve in partnership with eight other landowners (private and public) to provide outdoor recreation, natural habitat access and conservation learning opportunities for the public and, at the same time, coordinated landscape-level conservation management of wild lands.
The Reserve is part of the developer’s vision of sustainable development – development that is compatible with and supports open areas and wildlife, while being completely surrounded by and integrated with residential development. In order to manage it as a landscape unit, The Irvine Company and the other landowners rely on a working partnership established under the umbrella of the nonprofit Irvine Ranch Land Reserve – the principle land manager of the protected area. Other parties, including the Conservancy and the State of California, have or share conservation management responsibility over portions of the Reserve.
Much of The Nature Conservancy’s management is focused on restoring the reserve’s habitats to good health and re-establishing a balance of native shrubs and trees – primarily coastal sage scrub and oak and sycamore woodlands – that are found when the land is in a healthy, sustainable state.
The reserve has been a catalyst to engage the local community in conservation stewardship, to foster community development consistent with sustainable use of natural resources and to ensure long-term protection of a unique and ecologically valuable landscape. Its success is attributable to an innovative, collaborative resource governance framework made up of multiple private landowners and overlapping state and local jurisdictions.
For More Information:
- Where We Work: The Nature Conservancy in California
Since its founding in 1958, The Nature Conservancy of California has worked with conservation partners, local communities, and people like you on more than 100 projects and preserves throughout the state. - Places We Protect: Irvine Ranch Land Reserve
The Irvine Ranch Land Reserve harbors some of Orange County's richest oak and sycamore woodlands, as well as streams and springs, laced with blackberries and monkeyflowers and shared by animals of all sizes – from mountain lions to rare lizards. - Feature: Irvine Company's Superb Gift Protects 11,500 More Acres of Orange County Habitat
Donald Bren, chairman of The Irvine Company, announced that his company would donate to The Nature Conservancy permanent conservation easements on 11,500 acres of prime natural habitat. The Conservancy has collaborated with The Irvine Company since 1992, when the company set aside 22,000 acres and asked the Conservancy to take over their long-term management and restoration. - Get Out on the Land: Explore the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve
Docents lead tours through the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve's many natural wonders, from sandstone bluffs to seismic cataracts to sweeping views of the Pacific. - Press Release: Conservancy Receives Stewardship Award from U.S. Department of Interior
The Nature Conservancy received an Award of Excellence from the U.S. Department of the Interior for its efforts with The Irvine Company to protect more than 34,000 acres of rugged mountains, vast meadows and oak woodlands in the heart of Orange County. - How We Work: Nature Conservancy Partnerships
The Nature Conservancy pursues non-confrontational, pragmatic, market-based solutions to conservation challenges. This makes it essential for us to work collaboratively with partners – communities, businesses, government agencies, multilateral institutions, individuals and other non-profit organizations.
