Florida is projected to lose 3.5 million acres of land to development by 2070. A new study highlights how Florida can buffer itself against both climate change and population pressures by conserving the remaining 8 million acres of 'opportunity areas' within the Florida Wildlife Corridor , the only designated statewide corridor in the U.S. Interactions between the FLWC and climate change had not been previously examined until now.
This superhighway of interconnected acres of wildlands, working lands and waters is the only designated statewide corridor in the United States, and a world-class adaption plan facing down ground zero of climate change in an already warm location. Spanning from Alabama to the Everglades, the FLWC not only protects endangered species like the Florida panther, but also brings economic and climate benefits to local communities. About 90 percent of Floridians live within 20 miles of the corridor.
The FLWC, a critical conservation initiative aimed at preserving natural landscape connectivity across Florida, is the culmination of four decades of research, advocacy and land protection by agencies, landowners and nonprofit organizations that led to the passage of the FLWC Act in 2021. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law on July 1, 2021, after votes of 115-0 in favor in the state House and 40-0 in favor in the Senate.
If the corridor is not protected from expanding development, climate change could spark a fire crisis in Florida not unlike that in the western U.S. Some wildlife species will need to move north to escape higher heat and saltwater intrusion into South Florida's Everglades. For example, the Florida black bear is being forced to move north to escape higher temperatures caused by climate change.. Designating linkages within the FLWC as areas of critical state concern would help"The Florida Wildlife Corridor provides a leading example of ambitious landscape conservation planning on a regional scale.
The FLWC climate report collaborators include Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, University of South Florida, South Florida Water Management District, reTHINK Energy Florida, and Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning.Predator species may buffer the negative impacts of climate change by mitigating against the loss of biodiversity, according to new research.
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