Regional Conservation Investment Strategies Program

a field of purple wildflowers and distant hills

Announcements

NEW 2023 RCIS Program Guidelines released - Monday, June 26, 2023
NEW 2023 Regional Conservation Investment Strategies (RCIS) Program Guidelines, including guidance for Mitigation Credit Agreements (MCA) has been released! See links to guidelines below under the Program Guidelines heading. And please see the new MCA website page with links to the guidelines, templates and other MCA resources. 

Program Overview

The Regional Conservation Investment Strategies (RCIS) Program is a voluntary program that encourages conservation assessments and planning at a landscape level using existing information. The RCIS Program also provides opportunities for large scale conservation and mitigation projects resulting in higher ecological benefits than project-by-project efforts. The various RCIS Program opportunities are available through the Program's three components: Regional Conservation Assessment (RCA), Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (RCIS), and Mitigation Credit Agreement (MCA). Please contact the RCIS Program Team at RCIS@wildlife.ca.gov for any other questions or to get on the Notifications list.

Program Guidelines

Program Components

Coniferous forest with snow capped mountains

Regional Conservation Assessment (RCA)

Uses existing information to provide an assessment of the area's existing conditions. An RCA may be used by anyone for various types of conservation or development scoping. No RCAs have been proposed to date. Contact the RCIS Program Team for more information.

Field of purple flowers with mountains

Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (RCIS) #2

Uses existing information to provide an assessment of the area's existing conditions. An RCIS provides guidance for the types and locations of conservation and mitigation projects that would provide ecological benefits within the area. Public agencies and federally recognized tribes can create an RCIS. 

Oak trees and grassland on rolling foothills

Mitigation Credit Agreement (MCA) #3

An MCA is a flexible advance mitigation crediting mechanism developed under an approved RCIS. Anyone can develop an MCA in collaboration with CDFW to create mitigation credits by implementing actions identified in an RCIS.

Additional Program Resources

Program Contact

For further information about the RCIS Program or to receive Program notifications, contact the RCIS Program Team at RCIS@wildlife.ca.gov

Habitat Conservation Planning Branch
1010 Riverside Parkway, West Sacramento, CA 95605
Mailing: P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090