KKK. & LLL. EMERGING ISSUES AFFECTING CONSERVATION OF FLORIDA’S IMPERILED WILDLIFE SPECIES, INCLUDING POTENIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WILDLIFE COMMUNITIES
Never have the costs and risks of conservation been so high nor the opportunities for establishing a new conservation vision for Florida as great as they are today. No less than a dozen landscape-scale wildlife and habitat planning programs are currently being implemented collaboratively in most cases by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, US Fish and Wildlife Service, other regulatory agencies and conservation organizations. These initiatives generally involve development of state-wide management plans for high profile wildlife species, implementation of a revised state listed process for imperiled wildlife species, habitat identification and ranking analyses for preservation under projects that include the Conservation Cooperative Blueprint and the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative, best management practices for wildlife on agricultural lands and consolidation of regulatory processes. Each of these programs has potential to profoundly affect the ways we conserve listed species and the habitats upon which they depend. They also will affect each of us in our responsibilities as regulators, land managers and consultants. Additionally, there is a possibility that changes to our climate may be affecting Florida’s terrestrial and aquatic wildlife communities. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has taken the time to study this issue and will come prepared to present its surprising findings, with commentary from other scientists with expertise in this area. The presenters in this session will provide salient overviews of these programs and issues with information regarding how to participate and acquire additional information.
