Do Habitat Conservation Plans Deserve Wider Implementation?

There are now more than 700 HCPs nationwide, with additional plans in preparation. While a number of HCPs have been based on a more conventional model of bilateral, single-project permits that merely seek to mitigate harm to listed species, the more noteworthy HCPs are landscapewide and focused on multiple species. These plans each cover hundreds if not millions of acres and even an entire state. As this concept matures, it is outgrowing the ad-hoc way in which plans have been crafted, funded, and managed. The question is how can this area-wide, collaborative HCP concept be improved and implemented to more expeditiously and effectively provide for habitat conservation in concert with needed infrastructure and development?