THE EXXON-VALDEZ OIL-SPILL - HABITAT PROTECTION AS A RESTORATION STRATEGY

Habitat protection is a major component of the Exxon Valdez oil spill restoration process. The acquisition of private lands, or partial inte rests Ln private lands, is intended to promote natural recovery of spi ll-injured resources and services by removing the threat of additional development impacts, The Comprehensive Habitat Protection Process is the method that was designed to achieve this objective. Over one milli on acres within the oil spill affected area were evaluated, scored, an d ranked by a multi-criteria evaluation process. Initially, lands were divided into large parcels encompassing entire bays and watersheds. C riteria were then used to assess the habitat and human-use values asso ciated with each parcel and the protection benefit that acquisition wo uld provide for 19 injured resources rand services. This process has b een the basis for the acquisition of 41,549 acres of land an Afognak I sland and 23,800 acres on the Kenai Peninsula and for agreements that if consummated, will result in the accquisition of fee or lesser right s an over a half million acres of land ira:he Kodiak Archipelago, on t he Kenai Peninsula, and in Prince William Sound. All of these lands or rights, if acquired, will be incorporated into parks or refuges or ot herwise managed in a manner that will facilitate the recovery of the r esources and services injured by the oil spill.