Welcome to the Website for the Florida Beaches Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).
The Florida Beaches HCP seeks to preserve the unique and precious wildlife and natural resources of
Florida's coastline. Florida's beaches are important to many user groups, from commercial fishers to
wildlife watchers to the millions of vacationers that visit the state each year. Florida's coast is a
major source of economic prosperity for the state, but it is also home to many rare species and fragile,
dynamic ecosystems. Preserving these species and their habitats will ensure not only the fulfillment of
our responsibility as stewards of the state's natural resources, but also the continued economic
importance of and the quality of life on the coast for future generations of residents and
visitors to the state. |
Click HERE
to View the HCP Primer
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The HCP is being developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in cooperation with
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and with input from a broad range of contributing
partners. The HCP process is in the early stages, so please check back often for updates and more details
on how development of the plan is progressing.
Our Mission
The mission of this project is to aid the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (FDEP) Bureau of Beaches
and Coastal Systems in obtaining an Incidental Take Permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This will be
accomplished by developing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that will minimize and mitigate the take of federally
listed species resulting from activities permitted through FDEP's Coastal Construction Control Line Program.
The HCP will enable FDEP to fulfill its statutory responsibilities under Florida law and the Federal Endangered Species Act.
Biological Goal and Objectives
The Biological Goal of the Florida Beaches HCP is to implement a statewide conservation strategy that sustains the
basic life history traits and ecology of all covered species within the Plan Area and supports the conservation goals
of Federal recovery plans and state management plans for those species.
Four primary biological objectives extend from this goal. They are as follows:
- Maintain and, where possible, improve the quality, quantity and function of habitat for all covered species within the Plan Area.
- Minimize impacts resulting from CCCL-permitted activities.
- Adequately mitigate impacts resulting from CCCL-permitted activities to ensure a net conservation benefit for all covered species.
- Ensure the long-term persistence of covered species within the Plan Area in consideration of large-scale environmental changes, such as sea level rise