Conserving Florida’s lands and wildlife is no small task, in fact it is a group effort more than 20 years in the making! Join Elizabeth Flemming, Senior Florida Representative at Defenders, to learn what goes into conserving this amazing and diverse state.
Transcript:
You have to be tenacious. You can’t give up. This work is not easy and… But if you stick with it. You know, I’ve been working with Defenders for almost 20 years, and some of these projects take 20 years.
I am thrilled to be here with all of you as we celebrate the establishment of the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area.
Back when the planning effort began for this region to conserve lands and continue working lands to be part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, while much of them remaining in private hands in 2010, 2011, 2012, there was a lot of mistrust. A lot of the landowners, they didn’t have proper information about what the federal government was going to do. And at that time, landowners weren’t really wanting to sign up for this program. And so now that the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area was established in 2012 and we have an entirely different situation. Just on March 11th, 2024 we have the new Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area with renewed interest, tremendous support, funding and we have an amazing opportunity. We’ve got a lot of people at the table who want to want to work on this. So it is it’s really it’s come together.
The new Everglades to Gulf conservation area is remarkable, both in its size and the impact it will have in protecting species habitats and surrounding communities. At more than 4 million acres, this new conservation area will continue to provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including more than 100 species listed as threatened or endangered, all weaving together public and private land protection opportunities like the Partnership approach implemented at the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area more than a decade ago.
These conservation areas, provide some more tools and financial mechanisms for ranchers and agriculturists to remain in business and working the land. The reason these areas are being considered as priority areas for a national wildlife refuge system they provide a lot of them provide very, very good habitat for wildlife. The way the ranching is undertaken, there’s a lot of native range. It’s conducive to supporting Florida Black Bears, Florida Panthers, Gopher Tortoises, Indigo Snakes. So having more tools, more funding to be able to help the people remain in ranching. And help provide payment for ecological services. A lot of us who live on more on the coastal areas, we benefit from having these rural areas in the center of our state, more inland areas they’re providing clean water and clean air and wildlife habitat, connected corridors and a rural character that we really don’t want to lose in the state of Florida.
Defenders Of Wildlife works on the ground, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect and restore imperiled wildlife and habitats across North America.
Defenders Of Wildlife
