Habitat Conservation

Rare Plant Program

California hosts more than 7000 species of plants. Many are rare, having a very limited distribution, and many are threatened or endangered. The Rare Plant Program coordinates conservation activities for the State's listed plants, including listing and plant collecting and research.

Information about listed plants is available in the Department publication, The Status of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants and Animals of California 2000-2004. Information is also available from the California Natural Diversity Database. CNDDB tracks the status of listed and sensitive plants in California and maintains the list off these -- look under CNDDB Resources in the right column. Additional information on California's botanical resources and their management are available from DFG's Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program, Invasive Species Program, and Timber Harvest Plan Program.

The Rare Plant Program issues Plant Research Permits and Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plant Collecting Permits. Research permits are required for all individuals conducting research on listed plant species.

Collecting permits are issued to biologists who will be collecting voucher specimens to either document a newly-discovered or previously unvouchered occurrence of a listed plant. Collection of seeds requires a Plant Research Permit. The Department is charged with reviewing the effect of proposed projects on rare species, including plants. To assist project proponents and consultants, the Department has prepared Guidelines for Assessing the Effects of Proposed Projects on Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants and Natural Communities (PDF).

Legal protection is afforded to species listed under the California Endangered Species Act by the Fish and Game Commission. Procedures governing the submission and review of petitions for listing, uplisted, downlisting, and delisting of endangered and threatened species of plants and animals are described in Section 670.1, Title 14 California Code of Regulations. The petitions format is available from the Fish and Game Commission.

The Rare Plant Program works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in administering federal Section 6 grants for plant research. Section 6 research reports are available online in the Document Library. There are numerous websites that provide information on California's listed sensitive plants. The icons provided will direct you to some of these sites.