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B-1 Appendix B Decision Support for Voluntary Actions and Regulatory Assurances: Imperiled Pollinators and the Endangered Species Act If there is an imperiled pollinator species in the area that may become listed, the questions below can help in developing voluntary strategies to mitigate present-day and future risks to at-risk species and regulatory assurances. Select as many questions as apply. Are at-risk pollinator species present in the planning area? If so, a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) provides assurances to transportation agencies who invest early in the application of recognized conservation actions, such as the abandonment of an otherwise once planned road extension, within a planning area encompassing a larger road network that benefit single or multiple pollinator species considered to be at-risk for future listing. Go Further: If conservation measures implemented under a CCAA are consistent with a conservation strategy for a species established by a state resource agency, the CCAA can be terminated and management actions transferred to a Prelisting Conservation Agreement (PCA). Transference would lead to the generation of credits for use as mitigation or as a compensatory measure for the detrimental impact of an action undertaken within a specified âservice areaâ after the species is listed as threatened or endangered. Are the same at-risk species likely to be impacted by reoccurring construction or management activities? If at-risk species are likely to be continually impacted by future activities, investing early in development of a PCA, to generate a bank of credits for both permanent and temporary impacts on at-risk species, may be worth pursuing. Will at-risk species possibly be harmed by future activities? If so, by working with state and federal agencies, a transportation agency can create credits under a PCA by implementing conservation measures benefiting a state-recognized at-risk species at select locations across their service area, providing assurances the agency will have the ability to mitigate for future impacts on the species following a federal listing. Go Further: Credits generated under a PCA can be used as mitigation or as a compensatory measure for the detrimental impact of an action undertaken within a specified âservice areaâ after the species is listed as threatened or endangered. Are there established state-sponsored conservation plans for at-risk species of interest? If so, the conservation plans are to serve as the preferred source for identifying the conservation strategies to be implemented under a PCA to receive credits for future impacts on at-risk species following federal listing.
Appendix B. Decision Support for Voluntary Actions and Regulatory Assurances: Imperiled Pollinators and the Endangered Species Act B-2 Are there federal lands neighboring present-day rights-of-way or future project areas containing recognized habitat for at-risk species of interest? If so, consider reaching out to neighboring federal agencies to explore the possibility of linking a CCAA with a Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA) to establish a comprehensive conservation plan for at-risk species allowing for greater consistency in management actions, and thus effectiveness, across a larger regional landscape consisting of both federal and non-federal properties. Go Further: Primarily developed to cover activities on federal lands, a CCA can be written to perform the function of an overarching conservation plan for a single, or multiple, species. A conservation plan can serve to link a CCA for federal property together with preventative measures taken under a CCAA implemented on adjoining non-federal lands, allowing enrollees to seamlessly implement conservation measures to address the needs of at-risk species. Is the existing or future road network present in wildfire-prone landscapes? If so, explore opportunities to earn credits through a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) or PCA by installing road-hardening measures, such as concrete pavement, in rights-of-way to reduce ignition rates and protect high value pollinator habitat harboring at-risk species in the neighboring natural areas bordering the road network. Go Further: HCPs are the most comprehensive compliance strategy available to non- federal parties to conserve the ecosystems and natural processes upon which listed species depend, ultimately contributing to their recovery. HCPs can apply to both listed and non-listed species, including those that are candidates or have been proposed for listing. Conservation measures implemented under other identified compliance strategies can be transferred or rolled-up to an HCP. More information about voluntary Endangered Species Act actions is included in Chapter 4, Native Pollinators and the Federal Endangered Species Act: Compliance Strategies for State Departments of Transportation, of this guide.
