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Desert Tortoise Habitat Conservation Plan

Desert Tortoise and baby
Desert Tortoise and baby
© Jim Moore

Clark County's Short-Term Desert Tortoise Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is a landmark mitigation agreement developed by The Nature Conservancy and other conservation partners to assure the preservation of the desert tortoise while allowing development in the Las Vegas Valley to continue.

Size
400,000 acres

Location
Clark County's Las Vegas Valley

Species
Desert tortoise

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The Las Vegas Valley provides crucial habitat for the desert tortoise, but is facing powerful development pressure from Las Vegas, one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.

Partners
US Fish and Wildlife Service

What the Conservancy Has Done
Formally approved by the USFWS in August 1991, the HCP will permit 22,352 acres of development to occur in the Las Vegas Valley in exchange for the establishment of a 400,000-acre desert tortoise preserve. Earlier, in a related action, the Conservancy helped settle a major lawsuit over the listing of the species, which has resulted in over $1 million being allocated to desert tortoise research.