Regional Landscape Conservation Planning: Wildlife, Connectivity, and the Florida Model - Hardcover

by Reed F. Noss (Editor), Thomas S. Hoctor (Editor)

The history, science, and influence of an innovative land acquisition program that has protected Florida's natural ecosystems and inspired global efforts

This book traces the growth of landscape conservation planning in Florida, which has developed one of the most ambitious conservation land acquisition programs in North America. As a climate-vulnerable biodiversity hotspot facing rapid growth and development pressures, Florida offers a unique case study in adapting conservation strategies under challenging circumstances. By chronicling the state's successes, the book offers insights into effective planning for the preservation of ecosystems and the wildlife they support.

The Florida Model combines UNESCO's biosphere reserve framework--core protected areas with surrounding multiuse buffer zones--with the concept of wildlife corridors. Informed by decades of research in conservation biology, landscape ecology, and restoration ecology, along with island biogeography and metapopulation theory, Florida's practitioners developed robust tools for evaluating and prioritizing land acquisitions. This work led to the creation of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and its flagship Florida Wildlife Corridor, cemented by landmark legislation in 2021, and has inspired similar regional conservation initiatives around the world.

Author Biography

Reed F. Noss is conservation science coordinator for the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning at the University of Florida. Noss is the author of several books, including Fire Ecology of Florida and the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Thomas S. Hoctor is director of the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and research professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida. Hoctor is the architect of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and a cofounder of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Contributors: Aaron Adams Eve Bohnett Isabella Guttuso Browne Ramesh Buch Margaret (Peggy) Carr Susan Carr Charles Chester John Davis Lauren Day Mallory Dimmitt Paul Donsky Richard L. Doty Daniel Farrah Alan Flint Lorraine Flint Marly Fuller Asena Goren Ken Grudens Joseph M. Guthrie Jodi Hilty Tom Kay Amy Knight Jason Lauritsen Kailyn Lawson Harvey Locke Sarah Lockhart Michael O'Brien Jon Oetting Debi Osborne Katie Shepard Daniel J. Smith Philip Stevens Ron Sutherland Emily Taylor Jason K. Teisinger Liz Thompson Kimberly Tillman Michael I. Volk Sonam Wangdi Carlton Ward Jr. Shane Wellendorf JoEllen Wilson Derya Yesilkusak Paul D. Zwick