Floridas Wildlife Corridor Got a Huge Boost in New Budget | Column

Florida’s new budget includes nearly $1 billion for land conservation. It’s not just a stunning achievement, it’s monumental.

This funding brings the total amount dedicated by the Legislature, and approved by Governor Ron DeSantis, to land conservation programs and initiatives to a staggering $2 billion over the past three years.

At the peak of conservation funding in our state’s history, land conservation programs were receiving $300 million annually. Two billion dollars in three years? Absolutely historic. Just years ago, many state leaders were debating whether to fund conservation programs.

Programs benefiting from 2021 include the Florida Department of Environmental Protections Florida Forever and Florida Communities Trust programs and the Florida Department of Agricultures Rural and Family Lands program. The Florida Forever program typically provides funds for the protection of natural areas, while the Rural and Family Lands program focuses on the conservation of farmlands and working forests. The Florida Communities Trust program complements both by prioritizing the preservation of urban and suburban areas.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the impact this historic funding will have on the geography of the Florida Wildlife Corridors. This vital tract of land spans the state, from the Everglades to Pensacola, and makes up 18 million acres of public, private and working wilderness. Currently, just over 10 million acres, over 50%, of the vast corridor is permanently protected from development. This critical funding will help protect the remaining area needed to maintain a functional and permanent corridor.

In this year’s budget, two key sections of the corridor will receive $850 million in land acquisition. The Caloosahatchee-Big Cypress Corridor is located in Southwest Florida and its protection protects critical Everglades and panther habitat. Second is the Ocala-to-Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor in north and north-central Florida, a vital area for black bears and other endangered plants and animals. Together, the areas enhance the state connectivity of a functional corridor.

By protecting and connecting key habitat areas and maintaining a statewide wildlife corridor, we ensure the survival of many species that call Florida home, safeguarding our freshwater, and maintaining natural and agricultural lands that contribute positively to the economy of the our state. The historic level of funding for land conservation programs is a major win for these efforts, allowing us to make more progress moving forward.

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The enormity of this funding cannot be overstated. Preserving our state’s natural resources is essential to maintaining our quality of life and supporting tourism, agriculture, and other industries that depend on a healthy natural environment. By investing in land conservation today, we’re protecting the future of our state for generations to come.

This would not have happened without the guidance of the Florida Legislature. I applaud House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate Speaker Kathleen Passidomo for their tireless efforts to bring together leaders and supporters alike to ensure conservation was a top priority in this legislative session. Our gratitude goes to the legislature for budgeting conservation at these unprecedented levels and to the governor for signing it into law. He made history.

It’s not every day that we celebrate such a colossal victory for conservation. Overall, we should celebrate this historic land conservation funding in the state budget and recognize it as an investment in the future of our state. It sets a precedent for continued efforts to prioritize the conservation of our natural resources and ensures that we can keep our environment beautiful and unique for our collective conservation future.

As residents of this remarkable state, we should applaud this dedication to balancing economic prosperity with environmental responsibility. We try to find common ground in protecting the actual ground we share. Let us unite behind this momentum and work together to secure a sustainable future for our beloved Sunshine State.

Florida has a rich history of preserving its natural resources and landscapes through the continued efforts of various non-profit organizations, government agencies, philanthropists, landowners, conservationists, and people like you who love this paradise we call home. Now that our programs have been funded at historic levels, the time has come for all of us to use this opportunity with everything we have. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work conserving the earth.

If you’d like to get involved, consider supporting a land conservation like Conservation Florida. We will work with our partners in the state to put that money into the ground.

Our work is far from done. This is a key positive step in the right direction. We build on this step and the next one and the next one. Let’s forge a path that will keep Florida wild forever.

Traci Deen is chief executive officer and president of Conservation Florida, a statewide accredited land conservation agency that works to conserve Florida’s water, wildlife and wild places and protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor. To find out more, visit www.conservationfla.org or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/ConserveFlorida, Twitter at @Conservation_FL or Instagram at @ConservationFlorida. This opinion piece was originally published by the Orlando Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea website (www.theinvadingsea.com). The site publishes news and commentary on climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida.