Editing Vernal pool (section)

== Habitat loss ==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2021}}
Vernal pools harbor a distinct assemblage of flora and fauna that, in some cases, aren't found anywhere else on the planet. Despite this fact, about 90% of vernal pool ecosystems in California have been destroyed. Disturbingly, much of this destruction has occurred in recent years, with about 13% of remaining vernal pools being lost in the short interval from 1995–2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants/Vernal-Pools|title=California's Vernal Pools|date=June 17, 2013|publisher=[[California Department of Fish and Wildlife]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222230017/https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants/Vernal-Pools|archive-date=February 22, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> The major threats to vernal pool habitats in the Central Valley are agriculture, urbanization, changes in hydrology, [[climate change]], and improperly managed grazing by livestock. They are sensitive to climate and land-use change.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

=== Restoration ===
Vernal pools are prime habitats to be targeted for restoration work due to their value as hotspots of biodiversity as well as recent history of extensive destruction and degradation. However, there have been varying rates of success attributed to various restoration efforts. Several hypotheses have attempted to explain this:
: Hypothesis 1: Constructed pools are too deep.
: Hypothesis 2: Edges of constructed pools narrower than natural ones.
: Hypothesis 3: Constructed pools have steeper slopes than natural ones.

Results: Research suggest that the last two details (Hypothesis 2 & 3) are crucial in determining the habitat value of man-made vernal pools. In general, most constructed pools were too steep and did not have wide enough edges.

=== Mitigation  ===
There has been a fair amount of controversy surrounding the practice of mitigation, which is the destruction of protected or endangered species and habitats, such as vernal pools, on the condition that whatever entity (business, land manager, etc.) is destroying the habitat will undertake the construction of a replacement habitat to "mitigate" their impacts. This concept is difficult to apply to vernal pools, which represent a tremendous habitat value—but are difficult to successfully replicate using construction methods (as mentioned above). Thus, it has been very controversial to apply mitigation strategies to vernal pool systems due to the obvious risks inherent in trying to reconstruct this kind of habitat. Some agencies, however, are now requiring two replacements for every vernal pool that is destroyed to compensate for the lower quality of human-made habitat.