Photos for media use: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmGT2kfn and https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVYD9Zi
Two endangered plants that live only in the iconic coastal dune ecosystem of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex along the Central Coast of California now have a blueprint for recovery, thanks to final plans prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners. A copy of the recovery plan for La Graciosa thistle is available here. A copy of the recovery plan for Nipomo mesa lupine is available here.
“Recovery plans are based on the best available science on what species need to persist into the future,” said Kristie Scarazzo, botanist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura. “These plans outline strategic and systematic recovery actions aimed at reducing threats and promoting long-term viability.”
La Graciosa thistle is a spiny, wetland plant with white flowers, tinged with a lavender hue. It lives around the edges of wetlands and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian areas within coastal dune scrub habitat. With only eight extant locations scattered throughout southwestern San Luis Obispo and northwestern Santa Barbara counties, the primary threat to the species is groundwater decline, likely from extraction for urban, agricultural and industrial uses. Climate change exacerbates this threat as drought conditions mean less available water.
Nipomo Mesa lupine is a small, annual legume restricted to a specific stand of stabilized coastal dunes associated with the Nipomo Mesa landform, in southwestern San Luis Obispo County. The entire population consists of three small colonies, restricted to a two-square-mile area. Two of the colonies resulted from successful outplanting efforts conducted by the Service and partners. The primary threats to the species are invasive veldt grass, development activities, seed predation, small population effects and climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change .
Recovery entails conservation of the species and its habitat, as well as restoration throughout the historic range. Conservation partners are already working to implement actions identified in the plans, such as restoring habitat by removing invasive weeds, sediment, and overgrown vegetation, and implementation of propagation and outplanting.
Recovery plans are required for threatened and endangered wildlife and plants protected under the Endangered Species Act, and are often developed in collaboration with academia, landowners and conservation groups that can help implement on-the-ground recovery actions.
Read more about conservation work underway for La Graciosa thistle and Nipomo mesa lupine by the Service and its partners, and how recovery plans contribute to robust and functioning ecosystems along the Central Coast of California that benefit people, plants and wildlife.
Established in 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ventura field office works to conserve and protect threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants across the southern and central California coast, collaborating with communities and conservation partners to build a future that supports both people and our unique and diverse natural landscapes. To stay up-to-date on the conservation work of our staff like us on Facebook.
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