INDICATORS FOR A SUSTAINABLE SAN MATEO COUNTY

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BIODIVERSITY

What Was Measured?
The number of plant and animal species in San Mateo County listed as threatened and endangered by either the State or federal government are shown.

Why Is This Important!
Protecting biodiversity by keeping ecosystems intact is important because it gives us the best chance of keeping species from being listed as threatened or endangered, or from extinction or extirpation (local extinction).  Avoiding these tragedies is important because these species may provide important scientific information or play an important role in the local ecology.  Further, the decline and subsequent listing of a species can cause cultural and economic hardships on a community.

While it is generally accepted that communities should be protecting and restoring native ecosystems in order to protect the region's biodiversity, under current law, an ecosystem in trouble is not directly protected.  A specific species must be listed under either State or Federal law before plans are enacted to protect that species from extinction. While regulatory bodies and communities are moving towards ecosystem protection through Habitat Conservation Plans, the use of these tools are still dependent upon the listing of an animal species.

Total Animal Species of Each Habitat
Listed as Endangered or Threatened

Coastal Conifer Forest

2

Coastal Dunes

2

Coastal Shrub

2

Coastal Waters

5

Off-shore Coastal Waters

2

Marine Coast

5

Serpentine Grassland

1

Grassland

2

Freshwater Marsh

2

Non-tidal Marsh

1

Saltwater Marsh

2

Riparian Areas

2

Note that total number of species differs from the numbers represented in this table because some species inhabit multiple habitat environments.  Thus, the table reflects the total number of listed species found in each habitat.

Total Plant Species of Each Habitat
Listed as Endangered or Threatened

Alkaline Flats

1

Chaparral

15

    Maritime

3

Coastline (general)

27

    Bluff

5

    Dunes

8

    Flats

1

    Prairie

9

    Sandhills

1

    Scrub

25

    Strand

1

    Terrace

1

Closed-cone Pine Forest

1

Conifer Forest

13

    Coastal

1

Grassland

19

Mixed Evergreen Forest

4

Evergreen Forest

2

Marsh

4

    Freshwater

2

    Saltwater

2

Meadows

1

Riparian Areas

3

    Forest

1

    Woodland

1

Saline Streams

1

Freshwater Swamp

1

Tidal Areas

1

Vernal Pools

3

Woodlands

8

    Oak

2

Note that total number of species differs from the numbers represented in this table because some species inhabit multiple habitat environments.  Thus, the table reflects the total number of listed species found in each habitat.

What Was Found?
More plants than animals are listed as threatened or endangered.  Coastal ecosystems, both aquatic and terrestrial, have the highest number of listed species.

Most agree that the most important information to determine if we are keeping ecosystems intact would be the acreage of the different habitats located in San Mateo County.  However, we were unable to locate sources of information for this data.  Further, according to many planners and conservation biologists, the amount of protected land that is actively being managed for biodiversity would be a good future indicator.  However, at this time that information is also not available.

Total Plant Species Listing Classifications

 

State

Federal

Endangered Plants

9

5

Threatened Plants

1

1

Rare Plants

1

n/a

Proposed Plant Listings

n/a

1
     

What Is The Trend?
The health of the county's biodiversity can not be compared with other areas because of the marked difference in natural and man-made conditions.  The recent increase in the number of listings is a result of political pressure on the government.  The decline in species is the result of problems identified long ago, not the result of recent drastic or irresponsible local decisions.

Total Animal Listing Classifications

 

State

Federal

Endangered Animals

9

16

Threatened Animals

2

5

Proposed Animal Listings

n/a

1

 

 

Sources: Title 50-Wildlife Fisheries: Part 17- Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  August 29, 1992; Annual Report on the Status of California State Listed Threatened and Endangered Animals and Plants.  State of California, The Resources Agency, Department of Fish and Game. 1992; Corelli, Toni and Zoe Chandik.  The Rare and Endangered Plants of San Mateo and Santa Clara County.  Monocot Press: Half Moon Bay, California. 1995; Jamison, Deborah.  Species in Danger in Our Own Backyard, Volume 1: Endangered, Threatened and Rare Species in the South San Francisco Bay Area.  Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation: Palo Alto, California. 1992.

Researcher: Julia Bott, Anthony Matthews

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