Florida Wildlife Conservation Guide

Biologists within the Habitat Conservation Sciences Services (HCSS) section provide technical assistance to local governments, developers, land owners, and other entities on how to incorporate natural resource features into land use planning. Biologists from HCSS developed the Florida Wildlife Conservation Guide which provides assistance for planning purposes. A team of FWC biologists, Florida Natural Areas Inventory staff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, and outside stakeholders contributed to produce the Guide.

The Guide offers users of any professional level a compendium of guidance and reference materials related to wildlife, land use planning and conservation. Private landowners have information about various programs available including incentive-based mitigation programs which may be financially rewarding. Developers or environmental consultants will be able to access species-specific survey protocols, habitat management practices, and guidance on wildlife-friendly site design options. Local government staff members will be able to identify wildlife-related protection recommendations or understand what FWC and USFWS expects from applicants in terms of wildlife or habitat mitigation. These are just a few examples of how this resource can be useful.

Overall, the Guide is a compendium of information for multiple users regarding wildlife components in land use planning and conservation. Because it was developed as an electronic resource, revisions and upgrades will be easily applied by the FWC senior project staff. The next phase of the Guide will include a series of yes/no questions in the form of a dichotomous key. This will enable users to determine their "pathway" to the information they need. At the end of the key, the user will be placed in a category where best management practices or recommendations will be provided according to the answers submitted. Several on-line GIS applications are hyperlinked which provide the user a list of GIS tools available for inventory and analysis of natural resource features.

While the Guide is not a comprehensive resource, FWC biologists and stakeholders determined over a period of more than 2 years what immediate sources of information were absolutely pertinent for land use planning and conservation. Check this web site for future updates (expected annually) and project notes as we continue to develop the Florida Wildlife Conservation Guide. To subscribe for email updates, please send a blank email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to the Contact Us link above.