Full Title: The Florida Wildlife Corridor and Climate Change: Managing Florida’s Natural and Human Landscapes for Prosperity and Resilience
Author(s): Colin Polsky, Jay Baldwin, and Josh Daskin
Publisher(s): Archbold Biological Station and Florida Atlantic University
Publication Date: April 1, 2024
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Description (excerpt):
The Florida Wildlife Corridor (FLWC) is a critical conservation initiative aimed at preserving natural landscape connectivity across Florida. Spanning the length of the state, from Alabama to the Everglades, the FLWC not only plays a vital role in protecting endangered species like the Florida Panther, but also brings economic and climate benefits to local communities. Although the FLWC was not designed to enhance climate resilience, its climate benefits are not trivial, and a successful FLWC will help Florida achieve climate resilience more easily and quickly.
After four decades of research and advocacy, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was unanimously passed in 2021, signifying a bipartisan goal to protect 18 million acres (with 10 million of those already in conservation areas). In the three years since its creation, the Corridor has already produced economic, social, and environmental benefits, especially to the 90 % of Floridians who live within 20 miles of the FLWC. Still, future benefits will grow exponentially if we conserve the remaining 8 million acres of “Opportunity Areas” within the Corridor. The FLWC is an example of how public and private partners can come together to achieve mutual economic, social, and environmental goals at the local and state levels. Since the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was approved in 2021, state funding and agencies have helped private landowners conserve over 170,000 acres within the Corridor.