The Mitigation Hierarchy
Environmental mitigation follows a strict hierarchy: avoid impacts first, then minimize unavoidable impacts, then restore/rehabilitate disturbed areas, and finally offset residual impacts through compensation. For the capstone project, avoidance means redesigning the site plan to eliminate development in the most ecologically sensitive areas. Minimization means reducing the development footprint, using best management practices during construction, and clustering development to preserve larger contiguous habitat. Restoration includes replanting disturbed areas with native species and re-establishing stream buffers. Compensation (offsetting) might involve purchasing and permanently protecting equivalent habitat elsewhere or contributing to a wetland mitigation bank. Regulators require that the hierarchy be followed in order—offsetting is not acceptable if avoidance was feasible.