This document summarizes a presentation about conservation banking policy and practice. It defines conservation banks as sites managed in perpetuity to offset impacts to endangered species elsewhere. The presentation discusses credit determination methodology, service areas, relevant legal authorities, advantages of conservation banking over individual mitigation, and lessons learned. Conservation banking can effectively offset cumulative impacts, aid species recovery, and streamline permitting when done through cooperation and a landscape-level approach.

1. Conservation Banking: Policy & Practice,
Opportunities & Challenges
Deborah Mead, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Biodiversity Offsets in Canada Conference
Ottawa – 13 February 2014

2. What is a conservation bank?
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Definition: a site or suite of sites containing natural
resource values that are conserved and managed in
perpetuity for specified endangered, threatened, or
other at-risk species and used to offset impacts
occurring elsewhere to the same type of resource
(i.e., in-kind, off-site compensatory offsets).
Conservation banking should result in a net species
conservation benefit (e.g., contribution to recovery
for federally listed species). Expectation is a net gain
for species or ecological lift which serves to manage
risk when accepting compensatory mitigation.

3. Credit Determination Methodology
 Should be based on species conservation
strategy/framework; focus on species recovery
 Site banks within a landscape context
 Methodology should work in conjunction with
adverse effects determinations at impact sites
 Ranges from simple to complex—keep it as simple as
possible at the bank user-end
 Credit methodologies can be used to encourage
landowner participation in targeted areas

4. Service Areas
A service area is the geographic area within which credit
trading occurs for a particular conservation bank
 service areas are determined
by USFWS
 service areas are biologically
justifiable areas based on
species recovery units,
watersheds, species
population structures, or
other ecological
considerations
San Joaquin Kit Fox
Photo: Heather Bell

5. Legal Authorities –
Laws, Regulations and Policies
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Endangered Species Act
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
National Environmental Policy Act
Clean Water Act / Rivers and Harbors Act
Oil Pollution Act & CERCLA (NRDA)
E.O. 13186 (migratory birds)
National Defense Authorization Act
Magnuson-Stevens Act
USFWS 2003 Conservation Banking Policy
Other Federal and State Laws, Regs, and Policies

6. Why choose conservation banking
over individual, on-site, permitteeresponsible mitigation?
Valley elderberry longhorn beetle
Photo: Theresa Sinicrope Talley

7. Banks are generally better at:
Avoiding piecemeal mitigation and small
indefensible “avoidance areas”
Avoidance ≠
indirect impacts
Hostage Lot:
Example of
ineffective, onsite mitigation

8. Banks are generally better at:
Aiding in recovery of listed species –
contributing to recovery plan goals
Contributing to existing and planned
community conservation strategies (e.g.,
Habitat Conservation Plans, State Wildlife
Action Plans, Green Infrastructure Plans)
Streamlining the permit processes for all
Reducing the unit cost of mitigation

9. Banks are generally better at:
 Providing a means to effectively offset
cumulative impacts of many small projects
— combat “Death by 1000 cuts!”
 Reducing agency time spent tracking
compliance and monitoring mitigation sites
 Reducing the need for enforcement actions
 Bringing the regulatory, development and
environmental communities together

10. Stewardship: Management & $$
BANK
Real Estate Assurances

11. RIBITS
Regulatory In-lieu fee and Bank Information
Tracking System (RIBITS)
http://ribits.usace.army.mil
All conservation banks
approved by USFWS &
NMFS are being loaded
into RIBITS and are
expected to be visible to
the public later this year.
Mud Slough Mitigation Bank
Photo: Jaimee Davis/USACE

12. What drives the conservation
banking market?
ODOT Vernal Pool Bank
Photo: Jaimee Davis/USACE

13. Currently, it is permit applications for incidental
take authorization for listed species under the
Endangered
Species Act
that drives
the market.
Conservation
banking could
be expanded to
voluntary
markets for
non-listed, at-risk species.
Prairie Chicken
Photo: USFWS

14. Lessons Learned–Recommendations
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Stakeholder Cooperation: the level of trust among and
between the various parties involved largely
determines the success of conservation banking
programs. Trust is key!
Pay attention to cumulative losses; get compensation
for all losses
Factor temporal loss and other risk factors into
mitigation ratios
Durability is necessary to achieve sustainability
Don’t create unfair marketplaces
Use a landscape level approach; track losses & gains

15. Questions?
Photo credit: Kim Keating/USGS
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/landowners/conservationbanking.html