Nor, critics charge, do they ensure the species recovery. That s the crux of the issue, says Defenders Hood. Habitat conservation plans should contribute to a species recovery. Interior s Barry asks. If you don t think we are doing so well, then it is not so big a gamble.
Nothing is risk-free.
Habitat conservation plans are a lousy solution for which there are no better solutions, argues Michael Bean, a senior attorney at the Environmental Defense Fund and an authority on the Endangered Species Act. The act has been a paper prohibition with no real-world impact on preventing development, Bean says. The only thing that really matters in conservation is what happens on the back 40. We can t be everywhere to watch everything. If we can get major landowners to incorporate conservation into their activities, that s a major step forward, Barry says.