I.              Objectives

The purpose of this project is to determine the relationship between the acreage of disturbed land cover and the number of sensitive species within the municipal boundaries (jurisdictions) of San Diego County. The results will rank the jurisdictions by how well they scored based on non-disturbed land and sensitive species ratios. This study is intended to be useful for natural resource managers at government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private consulting companies alike. With increasing populations and increasing rates of development altering the County’s landscape and ecological services, it’s imperative for natural habitats to develop resilience against multiple environmental stressors. 

II.            Study Area

The County of San Diego covers a total of 4,526 square miles (including water and land) and is in the southwestern most corner of the state of California.  Considered a biodiversity hotspot, the County is home to hundreds of sensitive, rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species [1]. The reason I chose this study area was that environmental policies are often implemented differently across jurisdictions, as evidenced by municipality-specific habitat management plans. Most of the County’s land is considered rural and dominated by Chaparral vegetation. Yet it is the fifth most populous county in the United States and the second-most populous in the state (behind Los Angeles County).