Monitoring
Monitoring is an essential component of the FWC’s wildlife conservation efforts. Conservation monitoring includes measuring species and habitat trends and finding causes for any changes. Species and habitat status shifts can be negative, such as declines from threats like habitat loss, or positive when conservation and management practices are successful.
Conservation Planning & Action Monitoring at the FWC
Monitoring our conservation programs’ success helps us understand how the FWC and our partners’ efforts benefit Florida’s wildlife and landscapes. Monitoring efforts also encourage collaboration with conservation organizations throughout the state and Southeast.
The Wildlife Diversity Conservation Section of the FWC houses a monitoring program, created in 2020. Program staff coordinate collaborative monitoring approaches across the state. Efforts include evaluating species and habitat statuses and trends. They also monitor outcomes from agency conservation plans including the State Wildlife Action Plan, the Imperiled Species Management Plan, and the Gopher Tortoise Management Plan.
State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP)
Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan was developed to aid conservation planning for the state’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and their habitats. Species listed as SGCN are imperiled or are at risk of becoming imperiled in the future. The strategies outlined in this Action Plan direct the use of State Wildlife Grant funding and other agency resources.
Florida’s State Wildlife Grant Program helps provide financial support for projects that address actions to promote Species of Greatest Conservation Need conservation identified in Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan. See FWC’s Implementation Goals page for current goals and objectives.
The FWC evaluates SGCN population status and trends using a number of methods, including high-level vulnerability assessments such as NatureServe. For more information on species monitoring goals and methodologies, see Chapter 5 of the State Wildlife Action Plan.
The FWC uses Florida Ecological Report Cards to monitor the overall condition and trend of Florida’s natural and cultural resources. There are two report cards: 1) terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and 2) marine environments. These report cards will be used to track progress on conservation goals every two years.
Imperiled Species Management Plan (ISMP)
The Imperiled Species Management Plan is a ten-year plan which addresses the conservation needs of State-designated Threatened species and recently delisted species. This plan’s goals focus on filling data gaps to improve conservation and management decisions and using communication, collaboration, outreach, and management to improve conservation practices.
Species in the Imperiled Species Management Plan also have Species Action Plans. These plans include conservation actions for individual species or similar groups of species (e.g., Imperiled Beach Nesting Birds). There are over 900 actions included in these plans dedicated to completing work related to habitat conservation and management, population management, monitoring and research, rule and permitting intent, law enforcement, incentives and influencing, education and outreach, and coordination with other entities.
Gopher Tortoise Management Plan
Florida’s Gopher Tortoise Management Plan lists objectives and actions promoting proactive and collaborative conservation of gopher tortoises and burrow commensal species in Florida. Conservation actions include minimizing the loss of tortoises, increasing and improving habitat, enhancing and restoring populations and maintaining the species’ distribution across the state.
