UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning

09/02/2026

Last call to join our friends at 1000 Friends of Florida TODAY for their 3rd annual "Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor!" In this session, they will unpack how innovative funding mechanisms can forge new partnerships between landowners, governments, and the private sector to keep working lands working, and wild lands wild, for generations to come.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQKQ-l-VRHGU0u_AaKS_4g #/registration

Florida Conservation Group Live Wildly

Join us TOMORROW for Payment for Ecosystem Services: A Conservation Tool for Florida’s Future - a free, online webinar that unpacks how innovative funding mechanisms can forge new partnerships between landowners, governments, and the private sector to keep working lands working, and wild lands wild, for generations to come.

Continuing Education Credits have been approved for:
American Institute of Certified Planners — 2 AICP CM ( #9331522)
Florida Bar — 2.5 General CLE ( )
Florida DBPR Landscape Architects - 2.0 ( #0015986)
Certified Floodplain Managers — 1 CEC
Florida Certified Environmental Health Professionals — 2 Contact Hours / 0.2 CEUs

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQKQ-l-VRHGU0u_AaKS_4g #/registration

UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
Live Wildly
Florida Conservation Group
Solutions from the Land
The Balmoral Group
Texas Agricultural Land Trust

09/01/2026

School is back in session at UF! As you gather your sources for the semester, be sure to add our new wildlife crossing guide to your list!

Our latest publication, "A Practitioner's Guide to Planning and Design of Wildlife Crossings in Florida" is a comprehensive manual covering all facets of a wildlife crossing project, including practical examples - created for agencies, land managers, and conservationists.

Inside, you will find practical examples and methods to successfully mitigate the impact of roads on local ecosystems. We’re incredibly proud of our own Dr. Dan Smith, Wildlife and Landscape Ecologist, for this contribution to the field.

"A Practitioner's Guide to Planning and Design of Wildlife Crossings in Florida" is available FREE via download on our website:https://conservation.dcp.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Design-Guide-For-Wildlife-Crossings-Version-1.1-06_24_26.pdf

UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Live Wildly Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Florida Conservation Group 1000 Friends of Florida

08/21/2026

Following up on our recent look at Florida’s 2-million-acre development expansion over the last 40 years, we’re zooming in to the county level to highlight where most of that new greenfield development* happened between 1985 and 2025.

According to our Center’s GIS team analysis using National Land Cover Database (NLCD) data:

Orange County has approved the most development impact on rural land, converting 121,200 acres of greenfield land into development.

Monroe County recorded the smallest footprint of new development at 2,100 acres.

On average, a Florida county developed 30,800 acres over this 40-year period.

*These figures reflect greenfield development only (newly developed land) and do not include urban redevelopment.

Did your county make the top 10 list in the graphic above? How have you seen growth shape your local landscape over the years? Let us know in the comments!

08/12/2026

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has officially been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site! - And our own Reed Noss was the biodiversity expert and one of three co-authors for the 270-page nomination report.

Why was Okefenokee added to the prestigious UNESCO list? The case for for World Heritage status can be summed up in five key points:

1.) It’s a *biodiversity hotspot.* More than 1,270 species of plants and animals, including threatened or endangered species find their habitat in the swamp. Because more than 90% of the refuge is inaccessible by foot or by boat, it has been poorly explored by biologists.

“I would predict that we’re going to make new discoveries in the Okefenokee that are not replicated anywhere else.” — Reed Noss

2.) Okefenokee is *diverse, pristine, and ever-changing.* Across its more than 400,000 acres, the refuge contains an array of landscapes - from flooded marshes and threatened longleaf pine savannas to old-growth cypress and scrublands. However, Reed says that its dramatic interplay between periodic wildfires and rain are a vital feature that enriches the ecosystem (see diagram from the nomination report).

“This interaction between fire and water produces this dynamic mosaic of habitats.”

3.) It contains *peat - an important stabilizer for the climate* Peat is rich in carbon, but is waterlogged in the swamp, thus safely secured. When compared with other peatlands, Okefenokee is unusual for its subtropical location, and for its pristine nature (virtually unaltered by humans).

4.) Okefenokee is at the *headwaters of two rivers.* Both the St. Marys and the Suwannee flow from Okefenokee, carrying water stained black by the swamp’s rich organic matter.

“That these rivers themselves are free of dams only adds to the area’s unspoiled ecological richness,” Noss said.

5.) Okefenokee has long been a *human refuge.* The site is rich in burial mounds, pottery shards, and tribal relics. Although no Native American tribes live in the swamp today, it is a spiritually and culturally significant place to the Muscogee (Creek) people.

Congratulations, Reed!! Thank you for this enormous contribution.

Live Wildly National Wildlife Refuge Association

07/31/2026

Florida's landscape is changing fast!

New data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) reveals that Florida gained approximately 2 million acres of developed land between 1985 and 2025 -- a 44% expansion of the state's developed footprint over 40 years!

Here are the key takeaway points from our CLCP's GIS staff analysis:

- Daily pace: development grew at an average rate of 50,000 acres per year statewide.
- Hotspots: Central and Southwest Florida experienced the most rapid development, with major growth in metropolitan Miami and Jacksonville.

County Breakdown:
- Most Development: Orange County (+/- 123,000 acres)
- Least Development: Monroe County (+/- 2,700 acres)

The Big Picture: About 19% of Florida's 35 million total acreage is now developed *(an increase from 4.5 million acres in 1985).*

Why this matters: More development means fewer natural and rural lands, with more likely to be lost without careful and proactive land conservation planning.

At the Center, we use studies like these to help us identify priority areas for conservation, both inside and outside the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

We work for the future of both an economically thriving and a vibrantly natural Florida.

07/23/2026

Last week we took part in two symposia in Milwaukee, part of a joint meeting of the North American sections of the Society for Conservation Biology and the Society for Ecological Restoration. This panel, "From Assessment to Action: Linking BiodiversityAssessments and Place-based Conservation to Support Transformative Change” sparked conversation about the intersection between law and conservation science.

Many thanks to the panel members: Reed Noss, Asena Goren, Carlos Carroll, Tory Dille, Lindsay Rosa, Josh Daskin, and Rohlf.

07/13/2026

We’re using to monitor wildlife movement in key pinch points of the - areas where habitat are threatened by development.

The goal is to see how species like those pictured navigate these landscapes to protect and restore connectivity.

This work is supported by the F-Stop Foundation and Live Wildly and is part of the Center’s initiative to develop a baseline of for planning and research on existing and proposed in the and the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Live Wildly Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation UF College of Design, Construction and Planning 1000 Friends of Florida

07/10/2026

Attention GIS Analysts: Our friends at FNAI have an opening!

07/01/2026

Congratulations to Stephanie Medo, Graduate Research Assistant, for the successful defense of her master’s thesis,”Wildlife Use of Crossing Structures in Florida: A Camera Trap Study!” The interest in her topic carried the discussion past the allotted time frame due to everyone’s enthusiasm. Well done, Stephanie!! 🎉🎊

She is receiving her UF Master’s Degree from the School of Natural Resources and Ecology, and has been working for the Center with Dan Smith.

UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Live Wildly 1000 Friends of Florida Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation

06/29/2026

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of our Center’s director, Tom Hoctor, to the position of Research Professor at the University of Florida.

As his promotion letter explains, “This recognition reflects your distinguished scholarship and national reputation, as well as the quality and impact of your teaching and service to the University of Florida, your profession, and the broader community.”

Congratulations for a job well done, Tom! This accolade is much deserved.

Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation UF College of Design, Construction and Planning Live Wildly