CDFW is responsible for the conservation of California’s vast botanical resources, which include approximately 6,500 species, subspecies, and varieties of native plants. CDFW programs to study and conserve California’s native plants and natural communities are described below with links to individual programs.
- CDFW’s Regions each cover a geographic area of California, and are CDFW’s primary interface with the public. Botanists, biologists, and environmental scientists in each of CDFW’s regions have specialized knowledge of the local wildlife, including plants, and deal with issues varying from land management, enforcement, and research to conservation planning and environmental review.
- The Native Plant Program is a component of CDFW’s Habitat Conservation Planning Branch. The Native Plant Program coordinates CDFW’s statewide plant conservation efforts, issues scientific, educational and management permits for state-listed plants, manages grants for plant research and conservation through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (section 6)(opens in new tab) of the federal Endangered Species Act, evaluates petitions to protect plant species under the California Endangered Species Act(opens in new tab), and provides education and outreach regarding California’s native plants.
- The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) is part of a nationwide network of programs that provide location and natural history information on plants, animals, and natural communities to the public, other agencies, and conservation organizations. CDFW’s CNDDB is unparalleled as a source for the most current information available on California’s most imperiled native plant species. Species occurrences can be viewed using the free-to-use CNDDB Quick Viewer. More robust maps and detailed data on documented plant occurrences are available with a subscription.
- CDFW’s Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP) develops and maintains a standardized vegetation classification and mapping system in California, and implements it through assessment and mapping projects in high-priority conservation and management areas, through training programs, and through working continuously on best management practices for field assessment, classification, and fine-scale mapping.