Developing Options for Increasing Native Plant Landscaping in the County

10/21/21

San Diego County is the most biodiverse county in the United States due, in most part, to the diverse range of native plants that are found in our region. Continue reading to learn how the County is working to protect our natural resources and how you can help to influence this work at our upcoming public workshop on November 3! 

Including native plants in landscaped areas can preserve of our region’s unique biodiversity, enhance wildlife corridors, provide drought tolerance, and buffer against climate change. As such, the Board of Supervisors has provided direction to consider how the County can encourage the use of native plants in landscaped areas to support biodiversity, foster a market for local expertise and locally-produced nursery stock, provide support for training landscaping professionals and residents, and provide other co-benefits.

Native plant landscaping

Staff are currently developing options to present to the Board in Spring 2022 to demonstrate how the County could achieve these objectives through incentives, regulation, and/or educational programs. This work is being done in collaboration with the San Diego Regional Biodiversity Working Group, a consortium of native plant ecologists, landscape design and industry professionals, educators, and others. Staff will also engage with a diverse range of stakeholders to learn from the community and special interest groups what their priorities are and how they can be considered in the options that will ultimately be presented to the Board for approval.

If you would like to read about the project or contact us to learn more, please see project information at this site. Staff are holding a virtual public workshop on November 3rd at 6:00 pm to present an overview of the project, describe the process for developing options for Board consideration, and solicit important input from attendees. Please use this link to register for the workshop and we hope to see you there!

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about the resources that are available to help you plan a water efficient, native garden, check out this article from an earlier newsletter edition.