Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley
A science-backed, community-informed roadmap for ecosystem restoration across California’s Central San Joaquin Valley
The Problem & Our Solution
The Central San Joaquin Valley has lost more than two centuries of native habitat to agriculture and urban development. The land that remains—and the communities that depend on it—face mounting pressure from groundwater depletion, poor air and water quality, increasing wildfire and flood risk, and the accelerating effects of climate change.
For the first time, a single regional plan exists to address all of it.
The Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley is a comprehensive ecosystem restoration plan developed by Sequoia Riverlands Trust in partnership with the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. Grounded in science, shaped by community, and built for action, this plan identifies where restoration is needed most, what restoration looks like in practice, and how anyone with a stake in this region can get involved.
IMPACT
Madera
Tulare
Kings
About The Plan
What is the Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley?
The Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley is a living resource designed to grow alongside the restoration work happening across the region. It aligns local and regional priorities with statewide conservation goals, identifies where restoration can have the greatest ecological and community benefit, and provides practical guidance for anyone ready to act.
The plan was developed through a months-long process of community engagement, scientific analysis, and collaboration with more than a hundred partners, community members, tribal representatives, landowners, farmworkers, water managers, and restoration practitioners from across the four-county region.
The Full Plan
The StoryMap
Executive Summary
HOW TO USE THIS PLAN
I'm a landowner or farmer
The Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley includes practical, ecosystem-specific restoration guidance designed for individual property owners. Use the StoryMap to identify your ecosystem type and priority areas, then explore the restoration guidance section for actions appropriate to your land, your goals, and your capacity.
I'm a conservation organization or land trust
Use the Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley to align your restoration priorities with regional and statewide goals, identify partnership opportunities with other organizations working in the four counties, and strengthen grant applications with science-backed regional context.Majestic pillars of great valley oak trees reside on most of our conserved properties, providing habitat for hundreds of species. Kaweah Oaks Preserve protects large groves of these trees, giving preserve visitors a glimpse of what the valley floor looked like hundreds of years ago, before Western settlement.
I'm a water manager, GSA, or policy stakeholder
The Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley directly addresses groundwater sustainability, land repurposing, and multi-benefit restoration strategies that intersect with SGMA implementation and water policy across the region. The plan’s community analysis identifies the most vulnerable populations and where intervention can be most impactful.
I'm a restoration practitioner or ecologist
The plan provides ecosystem-specific restoration action guidance for eight terrestrial ecosystem types across the four-county region, grounded in current scientific literature and tailored to the region’s unique land use and environmental conditions.
I'm a community member or educator
The Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley was built with community input at every step. It identifies opportunities for green jobs, workforce development, and expanded access to green space and provides resources for understanding how restoration can benefit the communities most affected by environmental harm in the region.
I represent a tribal community
Tribal knowledge, priorities, and relationships to this land were essential to the development of this plan. The Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley acknowledges the historic and ongoing stewardship of tribal communities across the four counties and encourages meaningful involvement of tribal groups in all future restoration efforts.
SUBMIT A PROJECT
Add Your Project to the Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Central San Joaquin Valley Inventory
Partners
ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
Get Involved
Share the Plan
Submit to the Inventory
