The Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) is a voluntary, informal agreement between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and private landowners. It is meant to encourage landowners to implement habitat conservation measures on their property that benefit endangered, threatened, or rare species. In exchange, the landowners are provided with assurances that their land will not be subject to additional land-use restrictions or penalties if the species covered under the agreement are found on their property.

The SHA is a win-win for both landowners and wildlife. Landowners are provided with a degree of certainty and flexibility in managing their land, and wildlife is provided with additional habitat that is critical to their survival.

The SHA is designed to promote conservation on private lands, which are often overlooked when it comes to conservation efforts. Many of the species that are covered under the agreement rely heavily on privately owned land for their survival. By incentivizing landowners to implement conservation measures on their property, the SHA helps to ensure that these species have the habitat they need to thrive.

The CDFW has developed several different types of SHA agreements to address specific conservation needs. The most common type of agreement is the Safe Harbor Agreement for Species of Concern (SHASC). This agreement is designed to benefit species that are not listed as endangered or threatened, but are still of concern due to declining populations or decreasing habitat.

Other types of SHA agreements include the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), which is designed to encourage landowners to implement conservation measures for species that are candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which is a more formal agreement that is required for activities that may impact endangered or threatened species, can also incorporate SHA conservation measures.

Overall, the SHA is an innovative approach to conservation that encourages private landowners to take an active role in protecting species that are critical to California`s biodiversity. By incentivizing landowners to implement habitat conservation measures on their property, the SHA helps to ensure that California`s wildlife has the habitat it needs to survive and thrive.