Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan (Action Plan, originally the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy) is a comprehensive, statewide plan for conserving the state's wildlife and vital natural areas for future generations. It outlines what native wildlife and habitats are in need, why they are in need and, most importantly, what we are going to do about it. Florida’s Action Plan is part of a nationwide effort by all 50 states and 5 U.S. territories to develop action plans and qualify for federal funding through the State Wildlife Grants Program.
Prescribed fire is a key component of
terrestrial habitat management
To meet the intent of the State Wildlife Grants Program and to foster the Action Plan, the FWC created Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative (Initiative). Through the Initiative, thousands of experts and stakeholders have participated and provided input to develop and implement the Action Plan. These partners, including representatives from other state and federal agencies, organizations, businesses and individuals, will continue to be integral to meeting the conservation needs of Florida.
**State Wildlife Action Plan Undergoing Revision**
Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plans is currently under revision and is scheduled to be complete December 2017. If you would like to be included on the Action Plan Revision distribution list, and receive information first hand regarding review periods and proposed changes, please send an email to Allie.McCue@MyFWC.com.
Draft chapters and sections of the revised Action Plan are being directed through a separate internal and external review process to allow ample time for comments and suggestions prior to the finalization of the 2017 Action Plan. The revised SGCN list has completed this process and will be available for review again later this year. The new Ecosystem Chapter, previously known as the Habitat Chapter in the 2012 Action Plan is scheduled for external review in April or May and additional documents will be available soon.
Download individual chapters:
Foreword & Executive Summary (including Guiding Principles of Initiative and the State Wildlife Action Plan and the Table of Contents)
Introduction provides information about Florida’s natural resources, including climate and landscape, people and economics, wildlife and ecosystems, and approach to conservation. This chapter introduces the highest priority statewide threats and key conservation challenges as identified in the Action Plan.
Florida’s First Five Years of Action Plan Implementation describes how the FWC worked with partners to establish goals to guide implementation of the Action Plan since its inception.
Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) lists 1036
species in Florida that are imperiled or at risk of becoming
imperiled in the future. The process and criteria used to
identify these species are presented, along with a table
listing all of the SGCN.
Florida Adapting to Climate Change provides a short
synthesis of climate science in relation to Florida, a
vulnerability assessment on focal species, and
recommendations for adaptation actions. Sea level rise is
the main theme throughout the sections and is highlighted
as one of the most important threats to Florida from effects
of long-term environmental changes.
Basin Approach to Conserving Florida’s Freshwater Habitats and Species outlines how basins were evaluated and ranked based on three criteria; species diversity, threats to the habitat, and future condition. Twelve highly ranked basins were identified as the basis for freshwater implementation efforts in the Action Plan.
Habitats describes 45 terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitat categories that comprise the state of Florida. Eighteen habitats have been identified as being under the
greatest overall threat and generally were associated with
coastal, wetland, upland pine, reef, and seagrass
Multiple Habitat Threats and Conservation Actions details 32 priority threats that address multiple habitats. Each threat description lists the habitat categories to which it applies, summarizes the highest priority conservation actions addressing that threat, and then presents tables of specific recommended and ranked actions.
Additional Sections:
Acknowledgments – 2012 Revision
References/Literature Cited
Glossary of Acronyms
Glossary of Terms
Appendix A: Conservation Education Objectives in Florida
Appendix B: Stress and Sources of Stress Categories
Appendix C: GIS Data Tables
Appendix D: Analysis Used to Rank Freshwater Basins
Appendix E: Road Map to the Eight Required Elements
Download individual habitat sections
(grouped by ecosystem and listed alphabetically):
Florida’s Action Plan is a strategic vision of the integrated conservation efforts needed to sustain the broad array of wildlife in the state. Support provided by the State Wildlife Grants Program will enable coordination and implementation of many projects through Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative. The Action Plan is an adaptive plan that will continually be updated, revised, and improved based on the input and deliberations of all those interested in wildlife conservation. Working together, Floridians can shape a future that is filled with the abundant wildlife resources that define the state and provide for the enjoyment, recreation, sustenance, and livelihood of its citizens and visitors.
Burrowing Owl
Deployment of a helium-filled balloon for aerial photography
If you are unable to download these files or would like an electronic copy of the 2012 Action Plan on CD, please contact:
Allie Perryman
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian St
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
To view the 2005 State Wildlife Action Plan or learn more about the 2011 revision, please visit the Archive.
Documents are in PDF 
format. You will need Adobe Reader 
to see them. Viewers can also convert the pdf document to html through Adobe.
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