I wrote an opinion piece on the importance of land conservation to our planet's future, and to the future of our wildlife. It was published in the Orlando Sentinel.
Here is the text:
Florida, allocate enough funds to land conservation to make a difference
It’s time to wake up, Florida.
I’m as guilty of it as the next person; living day to day in my bubble, just trying to get by, not fully appreciating what’s happening outside the window of my apartment, car, or office building.
But it’s time to open our eyes. Crazy things are happening.
Our climate is changing faster now than ever before in recorded history. Scientists warn us of terrifying storms, flooded roads, heat waves — even increased international aggression.
We’re in the midst of the world’s sixth mass extinction event. Let that sink in: Something that has only happened five other times in the history of this planet is happening right now — and we’re causing it. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, plant and animal species are dying off by the dozens every day, with iconic species like the Asian elephant vulnerable to going the way of the dinosaur.
If we think Florida is isolated from all this international drama, we’re in denial.
We’re part of the problem. But we can also be part of the solution.
Protecting environmentally sensitive land is helpful in fighting both climate change and the extinction of species.
Conserving natural and working landscapes is integral to curbing climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions. These lands, when managed properly, can remove carbon dioxide from the air and store significant amounts of carbon in plant cover and soil. They also mitigate the negative effects of climate change on our communities. Preserving lands along our coastline strengthens shorelines, buffering our communities from extreme weather events. Mangroves reduce wind speed and wave damage during storms and allow soil to build up over time, mitigating damage from sea level rise. One acre of wetland can store up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater, reducing flooding impacts from the next hurricane.
Habitat loss and fragmentation are powerful driving forces of the extinction crisis. Protecting lands that provide important habitat gives species a chance to recover. Take, for example, the Florida panther. We are liable to pave the panther out of existence. Already, our state animal has been constrained to less than 5 percent of its historic range. We must protect and expand remaining breeding areas south of the Caloosahatchee River and habitat outside of South Florida in order to meet the recovery goals set for the Florida panther under the Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, there are proposals moving forward to develop primary panther habitat where panthers are breeding and rearing their young. If we do not protect sufficient habitat soon, we will lose the Florida panther forever. And the myriad species under the panther’s “umbrella,” which share the panther’s habitat, will be closer to extinction as well.
In times of global crises, each of us must do everything we can to help. And land conservation in Florida is actually quite easy. There is a long list of land owners who are willing to sell their land or development rights to the state. We have some of the best land conservation programs in the country to rank acquisition projects objectively and scientifically. And the Water and Land Conservation Amendment provides funds through the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to make the purchases. All the Legislature has to do is allocate enough funds to our land conservation programs to make a difference. So it’s time to wake up.
Legislators have to remember that when they’re negotiating numbers around the table, deciding the funding that Florida Forever (the state’s preeminent land conservation program) will receive, they’re not playing with any old political bargaining chip. They’re playing with real investments in the sustainability of our state and planet as we know it.
The Legislature should dedicate the largest share of funds in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund, approximately $300 million next year, to Florida’s land conservation programs including the Florida Forever Priority List, Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, and Florida Communities Trust program. It’s the least we can do for the future of our planet.
If you agree, do your part by calling your legislators and letting them know.
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