§8302 — Title 16 Conservation | U.S. Code

Summary

Defines key words used in this chapter about coastal habitats. Coastal ecosystem: a community of plants, animals, and their habitats in a coastal area. Coastal habitat assessment: checking a site’s physical, chemical, and biological conditions to see how valuable it is for fish and wildlife. Coastal habitat enhancement: changing parts of a coastal ecosystem to increase or reduce certain natural functions that help wildlife. Coastal habitat planning: making a full plan that describes the area, sets protection, restoration, or enhancement goals and priorities, lists methods, sets a schedule, and names who will take part. Coastal habitat protection: long-term steps to keep habitat safe for fish and wildlife, including helping create conservation easements or buying land with federal and non-federal partners. Coastal habitat restoration: actions to return damaged or lost native habitat to its natural functions as fully as possible. Coastal landscape: a coastal area that can include wetlands, coastal rivers or streams, bays or estuaries, seagrass beds or reefs, beaches and dunes, mangroves, and nearby uplands. Coastal State: a State on or next to the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, or one or more Great Lakes; also the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the United States Virgin Islands. Federal trust species: migratory birds, species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, fish that cross jurisdictions, and marine mammals the Secretary manages. Financial assistance: federal money given by grants or cooperative agreements to governments, organizations, or private parties. Secretary: the Secretary of the Interior. Service: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Technical assistance: help from the Service that provides science, skills, or advice for planning, assessment, protection, restoration, or enhancement work.

Title 16, §8302

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter:

(1)The term “coastal ecosystem” means a biological community of organisms interacting with each other and their habitats in a coastal landscape.

(2)The term “coastal habitat assessment” means the process of evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological function of a coastal site to determine the value of the site to fish and wildlife.

(3)The term “coastal habitat enhancement” means the manipulation of the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem to increase or decrease specific biological functions that make the ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife.

(4)The term “coastal habitat planning” means the process of developing a comprehensive plan that—

(A)characterizes a coastal ecosystem;

(B)sets protection, restoration, or enhancement goals and identifies the priorities of those goals;

(C)describes conservation strategies and methodologies;

(D)establishes a timetable for implementation of the plan; and

(E)identifies roles of participants and stakeholders.

(5)(A)The term “coastal habitat protection” means a long-term action to safeguard habitat of value to fish and wildlife in a coastal ecosystem.

(B)The term “coastal habitat protection” includes activities to support establishment of a conservation easement or fee title acquisition by Federal and non-Federal partners.

(6)The term “coastal habitat restoration” means the manipulation of the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem with the goal of returning, to the maximum extent practicable, the full natural biological functions to lost or degraded native habitat.

(7)The term “coastal landscape” means a portion of a coastal ecosystem within or adjacent to a coastal State that contains various habitat types, including—

(A)a fresh or saltwater wetland in a coastal watershed;

(B)a coastal river, stream, or waterway;

(C)a coastal bay or estuary;

(D)a seagrass bed, reef, or other nearshore marine habitat;

(E)a beach or dune system;

(F)a mangrove forest; and

(G)an associated coastal upland.

(8)The term “coastal State” means—

(A)a State in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Long Island Sound, or 1 or more of the Great Lakes;

(B)the District of Columbia;

(C)the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;

(D)Guam;

(E)American Samoa;

(F)the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;

(G)the Federated States of Micronesia;

(H)the Republic of the Marshall Islands;

(I)the Republic of Palau; and

(J)the United States Virgin Islands.

(9)The term “Federal trust species” means migratory birds, threatened species or endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), interjurisdictional fish, and marine mammals for which the Secretary has management authority.

(10)The term “financial assistance” means Federal funding provided to Federal, State, local, or Tribal governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private individuals and entities through a grant or cooperative agreement.

(11)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

(12)The term “Service” means the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

(13)The term “technical assistance” means a collaboration, facilitation, or consulting action relating to a coastal habitat planning, coastal habitat assessment, coastal habitat protection, coastal habitat restoration, or coastal habitat enhancement project or initiative in which the Service contributes scientific knowledge, skills, and expertise to the project or initiative.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, referred to in par. (9), is Pub. L. 93–205, Dec. 28, 1973, 87 Stat. 884, which is classified principally to chapter 35 (§ 1531 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1531 of this title and Tables.

§8302 Definitions