CNPS Conservation Policies

outline of CNPS Conservation Policies 

updated 6/6/26
The CNPS Program Policy Committee assists the Council in creating, reviewing, and revising CNPS conservation policy. The outline below also includes proposed and withdrawn policies, which are indicated by brackets around the ID-code.

HOW WE MAKE POLICY
The policy creation and review process is guided by a process guidelines document approved by the Council in 2009, based on the needs of the time. Back then, the Policy Committee took no part in drafting policy, and limited itself to ensuring that new policies were written in a fixed format, and were reviewed according to a strict schedule. But since then, the nature and role of the Policy Committee has evolved. We work directly with the policy sponsors, engage with their subject matter, and help them improve their drafts before they are presented to the Council for review. We also make sure that the sponsors and the Council understands proposals within the context of existing policy. If the process guidelines were updated to reflect current needs, it might be shorter and more flexible.
Current Guidelines: Process for Developing Program Policies (2009) | Previous Guidelines Policy Adoption Process (2004)