The full Terrestrial Irreplaceability dataset
is part of the Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) project from CA Department
of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). ACE Terrestrial Irreplaceability provides a measure of the relative
importance of an area based on the number of California endemic, special-status
species found there, and the breadth of their distribution, so that species
which are more geographically constrained produce a higher score. This
geographic weighting system makes a site more ‘irreplaceable’ because it
supports species which are found in fewer locations. Rare endemic species are
identified by the California Species of Special Concern reports, the California
Rare Plant Rank 1B plants, State or Federally-listed species (threatened,
endangered, or candidate species), and fully-protected species.
Ranks 4 and 5 are used as an exclusion
in the biological planning priorities component of the Core and SB 100 Terrestrial
Climate Resilience Study Screens. This ensures that areas of technical resource
potential identified through screening avoid lands with higher conservation
value for irreplaceability.This layer is featured in the CEC 2023 Land-Use Screens for Electric System Planning data viewer.
For more information about this layer
and its use in electric system planning, please refer to the Land Use Screens Staff Report in the CEC Energy Planning Library.
