Greenbelt Alliance is advocating to improve the Bay Area Priority Conservation Area (PCA) program.
PCAs are exactly what they sound like—areas that have been designated as priorities for land conservation. PCAs are an important tool to help cities, counties, and other government agencies make better decisions about land-use.
Priority Conservation Areas help decision-makers easily and accurately research conservation priorities when planning new development.
There are currently 101 PCAs scattered throughout the Bay Area—you’ve probably been to one and didn’t even realize it. Last year, our work helped Bay Area leaders update the PCA program guidelines. And this year, we will help identify more PCAs to add to the program.
Goals
- Approximately 20 new PCAs officially adopted by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
- New PCAs will demonstrate the region’s highest priority areas for conservation acquisition and stewardship funding.
- We will also work to integrate PCA data into an online data system making it accessible to planners region-wide
Big Wins
- Sept. 2015: ABAG adopted 68 new PCAs—there are now 165 total PCAs throughout the Bay Area with the newest PCAs covering 400,000 acres, an area more than 13 times the size of San Francisco.
- Nov. 2015: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission increased funding for the PCA Grant Program by over 60% to $16.4 million.
Map of Priority Conservation Areas
Partners
Contact us for more information.
photo: Audrey Rust