| Abstract | | This table was compiled from a variety of sources; it includes both federal and state listing status, as of 2005, as well as local prioritizations. The
biodiversity committee recognized that conservation focus is best placed on protecting and restoring habitats, but acknowledged that some species
need special attention to promote their recovery. Many of these species have federal and state protections. In compiling this table, the committee was concerned not only with species that are rare and endangered—species should not have to be at the edge of extinction to be the target of conservation efforts—but with keeping species from becoming rare. For this reason, the committee wished to recognize the value of certain native birds and wildlife, like the great blue heron and the river otter, that are signature or totem species of the Laguna. Fifteen plants and animals are federally listed as threatened or endangered, and thirty-eight are state listed as threatened, endangered, or species of special concern. The California Native Plant Society has designated forty-three plants as species of local concern.
|
