Land Conservation Rooted in Science
The Florida Wildlife Corridor vision is built on decades of work by scientists and conservation organizations that determined the need for landscape-scale conservation approaches – and specifically corridors – as a way to address habitat loss and fragmentation across Florida. These efforts, spearheaded by Larry Harris and Reed Noss at the University of Florida in the 1980s, brought about the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) – an incredibly ambitious conservation plan. This research and mapping provides the scientific foundation for the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Under the leadership of Dr. Tom Hoctor, the FEGN was updated again in 2021. The statewide database continues to identify and prioritize a functionally connected wildlife corridor, consisting of public and private conservation lands.
While the FEGN 1-3 provides the scientific foundation of the corridor, the FEGN is also the primary data layer used to inform Florida Forever, Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, and other state, federal, and regional land acquisition programs.
Conservation Florida is proud to have played a role over the decades, and continues to utilize science to drive our conservation efforts.