Tidal wetlands are recognized as one of the most important habitats because of all the benefits they provide. Yet over the past century, over 90% of San Francisco Bay’s wetlands have been lost to development, significantly harming Bay wildlife, putting some species on the brink of extinction. While we have made incredible progress over the past several decades to improve the health of San Francisco Bay and restore the Bay’s wetlands and wildlife populations, the Bay still faces major threats.
CCCR's Top 3 Threats to the Bay
Protecting Undeveloped Baylands from Development
Thousands of acres of wetlands and baylands in the South San Francisco Bay remain unprotected and at urgent risk of development. Specifically, the Cargill salt ponds in Redwood City and Newark, and most urgently, the baylands in Newark called Newark Area 4, where developers have proposed two separate development projects. Visit our Complete the Refuge page to learn more about each of these sites, as well as our Save Newark Wetlands website for more information and to take action to protect the Newark Area 4 baylands.
Prioritizing the Bay in Sea Level Rise Resilience Planning
With a significant portion of the Bay Area at risk from sea level rise, local, regional and state governmental agencies are working hard to develop plans to protect residents, businesses and critical infrastructure from flooding. However, the needs of the San Francisco Bay ecosystem oftentimes have not been prioritized within this planning. CCCR is working hard to ensure that the needs of the Bay are considered in these planning processes, as well as in individual shoreline developments and other projects. Read more about the needs of Bay wetlands to adapt to climate change on our Climate Resilience page.
Fragmentation of Wildlife Habitat & Urbanization
In addition to major development projects that threaten our Baylands, wildlife around the Bay have been significantly impacted by a plethora of smaller development and infrastructure projects that disconnect wildlife habitat and introduce new impacts, such as pollution and other disturbances that harm wildlife species. CCCR monitors these projects around the Bay, utilizing our expertise with wetlands and wildlife, to help projects lessen their impacts on the Bay. See our recent comment letters where we have highlighted threats to Bay wildlife from development.
For a snapshot of projects CCCR is working on, visit our Recent Comments page or view recent posts in our Blog. You can also sign up for our Newsletter to receive urgent updates and opportunities to take action.