Increase habitat and ecosystem function along the river corridor.

Back to: Support healthy, connected ecosystems.

Action: Increase habitat and ecosystem function along the river corridor.

Intact ecosystems perform multiple critical services beyond providing habitat for wildlife and providing public enjoyment.

They make air more breathable, water more drinkable, and climate more stable. They help mitigate the negative effects of urban development by filtering and absorbing stormwater, dampening noise pollution, and reducing greenhouse gases. Reports such as The Trust for Public Land’s Conservation: An Investment that Pays (2009) have shown that all of these ecological services have economic value, which would be costly for LA County to replace.[mfn]Erica Gies. Conservation: An Investment that Pays. The Trust for Public Land. 2009. p. 16. http://cloud.tpl.org/pubs/benefits_econbenefits_rpt_7_2009.pdf[/mfn]

County Lead

LA County Public Works / Flood Control District

Potential Partners

Academia

Conservation Corps

LA County Department of Parks and Recreation

LA County Natural History Museum

Marine Conservation Research Institute

Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority

Non-Governmental Organization

Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

Watershed Conservation Authority

Geographic Boundaries

LA River Corridor

Potential Funding Sources

Measure A

Prop 68

Proposed State Climate Resilience Bond 2020

Safe, Clean Water

USACE Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP)

Click above for other actions that involve the implementation lead or potential partners or that apply to the same geographic boundaries.

Methods

specific, tangible ways to reach the goal

Prioritize projects that create and improve habitat and ecosystem function.
Collaborate with academic institutions and non-governmental organizations to collect data on ecosystem function within the LA River watershed and along the LA River corridor.
Related Actions/Methods
Increase habitat and ecosystem function along the river corridor.

Create a connective network of habitat patches and corridors to facilitate the movement of wildlife and support a diverse resilient ecological community.
Collaborate with scientific research teams to increase the knowledge available about wildlife along and in the LA River and to create species profiles for different sectional conditions along the river.
Related Actions/Methods
Increase habitat and ecosystem function along the river corridor.

Create a connective network of habitat patches and corridors to facilitate the movement of wildlife and support a diverse resilient ecological community.
Continue to collaborate with the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s environmental flows study to determine habitat opportunities.
Related Actions/Methods
Increase habitat and ecosystem function along the river corridor.

Create a connective network of habitat patches and corridors to facilitate the movement of wildlife and support a diverse resilient ecological community.
Consider findings of the LA River Ecosystem Restoration Project (US Army Corps of Engineers/City of Los Angeles) in determining habitat opportunities.
Where natural soils are degraded, remediate soils to support healthy ecosystems and the development of soil systems that can improve soil moisture retention and plant health.
Support opportunities to acquire land in the corridor for projects that increase habitat, ecosystem function, and other multi-benefit uses along the river.
Collaborate with academic institutions and non-governmental organizations to identify specific locations where habitat could be expanded or added along the LA River corridor and within the LA River watershed.