None The Nature Conservancy in California Press Releases Search All Press Releases Misty Herrin Phone: (773) 248-1380 E-mail: mherrin@tnc.org

Nature Conservancy Protects
1,080 Acres of Mediterranean Habitat

Purchase Adds to Network of Protected Land
in San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — January 10, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy has completed a $2.3 million purchase of 1,080 acres of globally-rare habitat that will expand Anza-Borrego Desert State Park southward. The acquisition is the latest in The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to create an interconnected network of protected lands from Southern California to Northern Baja California that encompasses the full spectrum of what conservationists are calling “the mediterranean mosaic.” In just five places on earth, including the Mediterranean Basin, weather and geography combine to create a dense intermingling of diverse habitats, including chaparral, grasslands, oak woodlands and coastal forests. San Diego County and Northern Baja California harbor some of the best remaining mediterranean habitat in the world.

“Few people realize that this region is internationally significant in terms of biodiversity,” explained David Van Cleve, senior project director with The Nature Conservancy. “Mediterranean habitat like that found here is more threatened than rainforests, but we still have time to protect much of the County’s most biologically rich lands and waters before we lose them forever. We just have to make smart decisions about what to set aside for future generations.”

Conservancy and partner scientists have identified areas in San Diego County and Northern Baja California with the most unique, biologically rich and irreplaceable plant and animal communities. Guided by this assessment, the Conservancy is working with partners to preserve large expanses of mediterranean habitat and keep them connected. The recent 1,080-acre purchase is the latest in the Conservancy’s efforts to make this science-driven vision for conservation a reality.

“Located between Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and large areas owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, this property is an absolutely critical linkage to land south in Baja California,” said Van Cleve. “We expect bighorn sheep to be major beneficiaries. Right now, there are bighorn populations that exist on both sides of the border, but they have become isolated from each other as the species’ numbers have plummeted throughout the region. We hope to link up the remaining herds when recovery programs have boosted the herds sufficiently.”

Time is of the essence in preserving the County’s wildlands and keeping them connected, according to Conservancy scientists. The border region of San Diego County is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, and development threatens to fragment habitat into genetically vulnerable segments and cut off wildlife corridors.

“As we’ve seen with the recent fires in southern California, animals need connected wildlands in order to escape fire as well as to reclaim burned areas later,” explained Zachary Principe, Conservancy ecologist. “Systems of core reserves and corridors give animals and plants options to respond to fire, drought and other challenges. Given the projected impacts of climate change on San Diego County’s biodiversity, providing natural communities with room to adapt is more important than ever.”

The Conservancy considers its purchase an interim step in the property’s protection, with transfer of title to either the California Department of Parks and Recreation or the Anza-Borrego Foundation expected to occur within a year. Ultimately, the property will be incorporated into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, expanding the park’s boundaries southward. The purchase was made possible by private donations.

The newly acquired parcel falls within the Conservancy’s cross-border project, Las Californias Binational Conservation Initiative. Co-founded with Pronatura Noroeste, a Mexican conservation organization, and the Conservation Biology Institute, a non-profit group devoted to conservation science research, the goal of the initiative is to maintain connections beyond San Diego County, down into the rich wildlands of Northern Baja California.

“The acquisition of over 1,000 acres of prime upland habitat will be key to maintaining connections between California and Mexico which have been open to wildlife for tens of thousands of years,” said Mark Jorgensen, superintendent of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. “The people of California owe their gratitude to Nature Conservancy staff, donors and partners for looking into the future and creating these land acquisition opportunities.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.