Overview
A Recovery Credit System is a voluntary natural resource management
program that provides technical guidance and assistance to private
landowners with qualifying lands that support habitat for wildlife
or plant species important to natural resources. It provides a mechanism
for private landowners to offer purchasable recovery credits to public,
private, and federal entities. Participating landowners then receive
biological and technical assistance to manage their qualifying natural
resources in exchange for making the recovery credits available for purchase.
Modeled after the USDA-NRCS Conservation Reserve Program, where
landowners voluntarily participate in a conservation program in exchange
for technical guidance and cost share assistance, the Recovery Credit
System is an incentive based program that allows private lands to offset
natural or man-made wildlife habitat loss that can occur through
private or public activities.
The long-term benefits of the program are to improve and increase
existing critical wildlife habitat by providing incentives to manage
and maintain quality habitat and provide a growing pool of resources
to offset activities that could damage existing habitat. In addition,
recovery crediting builds measurable conservation benefits leading to
recovery goals for the species of interest.