Managing Public Lands for Change; Florida’s Habitats, Species, and People

Florida is home to an incredible diversity of native fish and wildlife, including 386 species of birds, 86 species of mammals, 90 species of reptiles, 136 species of fish, and 56 species of amphibians.  Rising temperatures and sea levels are likely to change the makeup of entire ecosystems, forcing wildlife to shift their ranges or adapt.  While it's easy to think of this as a problem for the future, these changes are already impacting species distributions, life histories, community composition, and ecosystem function. It is imperative as habitat and wildlife managers that we recognize areas where we can enhance ecosystem and species resilience and adapt our management techniques. Adaptation involves managing for change to ensure wildlife and their habitats are more resilient to whatever changes come. Since 2008, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been engaged in the research, planning, and management necessary to enhance and develop the resiliency of our coastal ecosystems and adapt to a changing environment. This management involves integrating climate adaptation and resilience into agency work and implementing forward thinking and adaptive strategies to address the impacts of climatic shifts already set in motion while also implementing action aimed toward desired future conditions. This approach may shift our focus from restoring or maintaining historic land cover conditions that are likely to be unsustainable and allow for transition to new, sustainable systems that encourage migration of our ecosystems and our species inland. In 2023 FWC established its Climate Resiliency Team to organize its internal climate adaptation and resiliency efforts. This team’s mission is to integrate adaptation into all FWC programs to ensure healthy populations of all native wildlife and their habitats. The Climate Resiliency Team’s first step was to develop a 5-year action plan and annual review process to monitor agency progress and determine additional needs. Team actions range from the inclusion of more climate data (e.g. Sea Level Affecting Marsh models or SLAMM) into agency planning, to the implementation of nature-based solutions (e.g. living shorelines, oyster reefs, & mangrove restoration). Another major focus of FWC’s climate adaptation and resiliency efforts are its land management and acquisition practices, which can protect imperiled species by preserving critical habitats and connections that allow species to adapt to changing conditions. Through strategic land acquisitions, the FWC interconnects natural corridors and enhances species' resilience against climate-induced habitat loss, fragmentation, and shifting ecosystems. By translating scientific data into management, the FWC will continue its efforts to manage Florida’s wildlife and habitats to adapt to a changing climate, recover from disruption (e.g., hurricanes, crop freezes, tropical storms), and provide valuable ecosystem services. Through my presentation I will provide Florida based case study examples of the implementation of climate adaptation and resiliency practices into agency operations, and examples of collaborative climate adaptation and resiliency actions on the ground.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Logan Benedict, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (logan.benedict@myfwc.com)

Authors:

Zackary Johnson, Duke University  (zij@duke.edu)