User:WikiCardy223/The Florida Wildlife Corridor

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The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a statewide network of nearly 18 million acres of connected ecosystems supporting wildlife and people. Throughout the the corridor, there are state parks, national forests, and wildlife management areas . The connection between multiple greenspaces is important because to thrive species need large ranges to hunt, breed, and maintain genetic diversity. . '''These benefits that are maintained by corridors create a thriving ecosystem that contains a significant amount of biodiversity. Biodiversity and the key ecosystem functions have been reduced by the fragmentation of wildlife habitats caused by anthropogenic (human) activities .''' Threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation are primary drivers of plant and animal population declines, often caused by human activities. '''For example, the Highlands-Glades subpopulation of black bears in Florida is being increasingly isolated due to urban expansion creating habitat fragmentation. The consequences of these events have caused the population to have little genetic diversity and extremely low effective population sizes. The demolition of habitats makes it nearly impossible for populations to interact with one another, causing diversity to plummet. Later sections will expand on the positive effects the corridor has had on these black bear populations. The corridor provides essential habitat and connectivity for many of Florida’s imperiled plants and animals by reducing the impacts of fragmentation '''. Corridors are important because other protected areas not only fail to provide biodiversity protection, but they also lack habitat connectivity. Without biodiversity present in an ecosystem, it is much harder for populations to develop properly.

The Florida Wildlife Corridor helps protect the habitats of Florida’s threatened and endangered species. This includes iconic wildlife such as the Crested Caracara, Snail Kite, Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, Florida Scrub-Jay, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Whooping Crane, Wood Stork, Florida Panther, West Indian Manatee, Gulf Sturgeon, Okaloosa Darter, Sand Skink, and Eastern Indigo Snake. Of the 17.7 million acres the Florida Wildlife Corridor encompasses, 7 million acres are composed of working lands – ranchlands and timberlands. Many of these working lands are still unprotected yet are a vital component to conservation in Florida. Urban expansion has increased the human-wildlife conflict, wildlife corridors can help to prevent friction caused by a growing population . The increasing population of Florida each day further expands the need for the protection of native wildlife. In cases of extreme urbanization like this, action must be taken.

Florida Wildlife Corridor Ideation
The Florida Wildlife Corridor was conceptualized by Tom Hoctor and Carlton Ward Jr. Hoctor was the director of the Center for Landscape and Conservation Planning at the University of Florida and Ward was the conservation photographer and founder of the Legacy Institute for Nature & Culture (LINC). Their vision and collaboration were inspired by their research on bears with David Maehr along with students Wade Ulrey and Joe Guthrie. Further inspiration was partly from Lawton Chiles, a former U.S. lawmaker from Florida who promoted his 1970 Senate bid by hiking 1,003 miles from Pensacola to Key West. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Expeditions borrow his method, not his political motivation as they address the fragmentation of natural landscapes and watersheds in Florida.

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Additional Benefits Provided by the Corridor
The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation engaged McKinsey & Company to provide analytics to assess the economic impact of the Corridor and the mechanisms by which the opportunity areas could be effectively and efficiently conserved. A Corridor Framework is designed to bridge research and data with conservation and environmental policy, supporting a number of communities such as researchers, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations . The research found that the Florida Wildlife Corridor not only provides inherent scientific, recreational, and cultural value, but also supports significant economic activities and national security missions within the state.

Specifically the research found that economically the Corridor supports at least 114,000 jobs and provides $30 billion in annual value in sectors such as recreation, tourism, and agriculture including ranching and forestry. Between 2022–2030, this number is estimated to total about $298 billion (Conservative figures, not all Corridor benefits quantified).

From a government stand point and three major U.S. Department of Defense commands and several vital military bases located in or near the Corridor, these open spaces are vital to national security.

The Corridor is home to 60 species at risk of extinction, such as the Florida panther and grasshopper sparrow. These species all gain the advantage of living in over 10 million acres of land, and the Florida community gets the benefit of being given the chance to encounter these species.

About the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation was created with the mission to champion a collaborative campaign to permanently connect, protect and restore the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The board of directors for the foundation is composed of conservationists, entrepreneurs and private-sector community leaders all pushing the message of the Corridor and continue gaining further support for it. Efforts are aligned to lead conservation of the Corridor’s highest priorities and accelerate connectivity by providing tools and resources that elevate other organizations working to protect these landscapes. Through expeditions, art, film, and storytelling, the organization has gained statewide support that led to the unanimous passing of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in late June of 2021.

In April 2022 the Corridor Foundation began hosting an annual summit to convene hundreds of conservationists, thought leaders, business and real estate experts, policy makers, state agency leaders, and elected officials for discussions, collaboration, and problem-solving all geared toward conserving the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Reformatted and Changed order

Community Engagement
'''To engage with the community the Florida Wildlife Corridor boundary has been simplified for online use on iNaturalist, an app that gives community members the opportunity to engage with the environment around them and even aid in conservational research. Interested peoples can even engage in analysis with the Corridor boundary by visiting The Florida Ecological Greenways Network in their planning for the official corridor boundry.'''

'''The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation gives the residents of Florida many suggestions on how they can support the corridor and become more engaged with it. Members of the area are encouraged to advocate for increased protection in Florida by signing petitions and calling into the state legislature. The foundation also urges the public to volunteer for matters that support the corridor and to immerse themselves in the protected lands so they can share their experiences with others and further their message. If community members are unable to share their time donations to the foundation are appreciated as funds are directly used to support further action as well as the corridor itself.'''

The Florida Wildlife Corridor Act
'''To protect and preserve Florida’s native wildlife, the Florida Corridor Act was enacted in June of 2021. The need to amend conservation efforts regarding the rapidly increasing population was recognized, and the state decided to start investing in their wildlife and protect the areas they inhabited. The Act generated successes such as over 114 thousand jobs, 10 million conserved acres across the state, and further protection of species. In April of 2023, advancing legislation was passed, allowing for wider access to the corridor utilizing additional paths that facilitate interaction between members of the community and giving over $100 million dollars in supporting funds. The government continues to enhance the corridor by purchasing the development rights of different landowners throughout Florida, the landowners will continue their operations on their land, but it will never be developed. These lands are obtained through a Land Acquisition Process from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.'''

Specifically, the corridor has expanded about 42,000 more acres through the state of Florida because of 2023 legislation that has passed. '''The SUN Trial Network includes many footpaths and trials throughout the Florida Greenway system. This new law has further extended the SUN Trail Network to lands within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, the law formally links the corridor to the state trail system. Potential SUN Trail Network components include those that connect to nature trails, loop trails, or other points of public access entirely within a single park or natural area. This gives the public greater access to these corridor systems so they can further experience native wildlife in their area.'''

Goals for Protecting and Restoring the Corridor
The Florida Wildlife Corridor project is a collaborative vision to connect remaining natural lands, waters, working farms and ranches from the Everglades to Georgia, protecting a functional ecological corridor for the health of people, wildlife and watersheds. Despite extensive fragmentation of the landscape in recent decades, a statewide network of connected natural areas is still possible. By informing Floridians about the Corridor, the Foundation hopes to increase awareness of the concerning issue and ultimately accomplish the following goals:


 * Protect and restore habitat and migration corridors essential for the survival of Florida's diverse wildlife, including wide-ranging panthers, black bears and other native species.
 * Continue to safeguard the major waterways and safeguard Florida’s water supply.
 * Sustain the food production, economies and cultural legacies of working ranches and farms within the corridor.
 * Bolster local economies through increased opportunities such as hunting, fishing, birdwatching and other forms of eco-tourism.
 * Give wildlife and plants room to adapt to a changing climate and sea level rise.
 * Raise awareness about connectivity between natural and rural landscapes.
 * Identify and promote the relationships between the coastal wetlands and the dunes that protect us, the working farms and ranches that feed us, the forests that clean our air, and the combined habitat these lands provide for Florida's diverse wildlife, including manatees and sea turtles.

Conservation Impacts
'''The Florida Black Bear population is a protected species that is given high priority in the state. Two studies have found that the use of corridors creates long-lasting benefits for the population . Researchers decided to compare the forested habitat of the Ocala National Forests bear population to the population of a fragmented residential area of Lynne, Florida that is surrounded by roadways. .These sites were chosen based on proximity to each other and due to the differences in fragmentation. In this comparison, it was found the bear population in Lynne had a far lower population growth rate than those that inhabited the national forest. Due to the results of the study showing these low population rates, it was thought to be partially caused by car strikes. From these results, it was suggested that corridors along the highway should be created to cause less bear mortalities. The continuous Ocala National Forest can provide areas in which populations are able to freely roam and stimulate population growth. The Ocala National Forest falls into the area of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, while the city of Lynne falls right outside of it.'''

'''A second study was done in on the Osceola-Ocala corridor and what it provided for two Florida Black Bear populations. Results found that the corridor provides much more than a passageway. Gene flow between the two populations has increased due to the corridor which also helps to analyze linkages that are needed to maintain population structure and viability. Corridors can provide genetic diversity between populations that are separated due to fragmented areas which can help from inbreeding depression and low genetic diversity.'''

Implication Across the Globe
'''Although the Florida Wildlife Corridor is only endemic to the state of Florida, there are many other corridors present around the globe that are essential for conserving wildlife populations. Some examples of corridors in other countries are from Switzerland and India.'''

Switzerland recognized in 2005 that habitat fragmentation had created a major problem, with populations disappearing and animal mortality on roads exceeding 8,000 roe deer per year '''. Because of the alarming issues at hand, they decided a change needed to be made. With the collaboration of the Swiss Agency for Environment, Forests and Landscape and the Swiss Federal Roads Authority, the defragmentation program was implemented . The program involved prioritizing habitat connectivity by utilizing wildlife bridges (a form of the corridor) to combat highway-produced casualties. The program is planned to be reevaluated in 2025 to look at the impact on wildlife populations.'''

'''In Madhya Pradesh, India there are many tiger reserves. A 2020 study was done to observe the importance of the wildlife corridor Pench-Satpuda and how it maintains the genetic pool of wildlife throughout their reserves . Unfortunately, the study was created because habitat degradation was increasing surrounding the corridor, but the importance of the corridor was restored with the hopes of keeping it safe. Between Pench and the Satpauda tiger reserves, this corridor provides for the movement of ungulates, canid species as well and large felines . It was found that the corridor is critical migration of the species throughout the reserves and without it increased human-wildlife conflicts would be evident . These two implications of wildlife corridors are just a small glimpse of the importance they have in protecting species not only in Florida, but all across the globe.'''

Expeditions and Documentary Films
Expeditions through the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and subsequent films, began in 2012 to share the Corridor concept and vision and to highlight chokepoints along the Corridor that are in danger of severing the Corridor forever. These films give great insight on the importance of wildlife corridors and what they contribute.

Some Treks and Films that showcase the Florida Wildlife Corridor:


 * 2012: Everglades to Okefenokee
 * This film follows the expedition of a group that traveled 1000 miles in 100 days through the Everglades to Okefenokee in early 2012. Throughout this trek, they document the importance of how connecting wildlife-dense areas is vital to conservation efforts and highlight those who are most important in making these linage areas possible.
 * 2015: The Forgotten Coast
 * This expedition film documents a trek throughout the Everglades to the Seashore in 2015. The purpose of this film was to bring attention to threats to areas of corridors that are not protected, as well as press for the need for expansion for ecological importance.
 * 2018: The Last Green Thread
 * The expedition was through the Interstate 4 highway that goes through the Headwater to the Green Swamp. The call to action for this expedition was due to the increasing population of Florida. Because of the constant use of the highway, there is an increase in human-wildlife conflict. The team wanted to show that there needs to be a link between the headwaters and swaps to keep them from becoming isolated and protect the wildlife that inhabits them.
 * 2019: The Wild Divide
 * Throughout this 7-day trek the team of conservations traveled from Highlands Hammock State Park to the Tiger Creek Preserve. The film was made in hopes it would be used as a tool to find better solutions to connect and restore wildlife throughout Florida.
 * 2021: Home Waters
 * This trek was through Rainbow Springs to Homosassa Bay. Trekkers observed an unprotected area of the corridor and showed the possibilities that were opened to them by the 2021 passing of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act.

Corridor Landmarks
'''There are many important landmarks that are all throughout the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Some important ones to note are:'''


 * The Suwannee River
 * Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
 * Withlacoochee State Forest
 * Goethe State Forest
 * St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
 * Steinhatchee Conservation Area
 * Apalachicola National Forest
 * The Apalachicola River Basin
 * The Northwest Florida Greenway
 * Nokuse Plantation
 * The Choctawhatchee River Water Management Area