A resource conservation district may be formed pursuant to this division to provide resource conservation services for the protection, conservation, restoration, or enhancement of natural resources. Resource conservation services may include the development and implementation of programs, projects, practices, and activities on public and private lands for all, but not limited to, the following purposes:

(a) The control of runoff, the prevention or control of soil erosion, the development and distribution of water, the implementation of erosion stabilization projects, and the improvement of land capabilities.

(b) Protecting people, communities, ecosystems, and public and private resources from devastating wildfire, flood, drought, and other human-made and natural disasters.

(c) Protecting, conserving, restoring, promoting, and improving the health, resilience, and adaptability to climate change of natural, working, and urban lands.

(d) Protecting and improving water quality, conserving water resources, and developing and distributing water.

(e) Planning, preparing for, and addressing sea level rise, storm surge, and other threats to the conservation and preservation of natural resources in coastal areas.

(f) Protecting, conserving, and restoring California’s biodiversity and soil biology, including, but not limited to, plants and wildlife.

(g) Controlling and eradicating invasive species, disease, and pests on natural, working, and urban lands.

(h) Restoring, enhancing, and providing stewardship of forest resources.

(i) Restoring and enhancing of agricultural lands to sustain California’s agricultural economy.

(j) Providing technical assistance to landowners and land managers in pursuit of all of the above.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 585, Sec. 6. (AB 1902) Effective January 1, 2023.)