The Lake Wales Ridge is a global hotspot of biodiversity, containing the greatest concentration of local endemic species in Eastern North America.  Over 85% of the rare scrub community has been lost, and fragmentation and development continue to threaten the ecological treasures that remain. 

Florida black bears share the expansive ranchlands that border the Lake Wales Ridge with a tenuous population of Florida panthers whose future is tied to a protected and connected landscape. This area is home to other imperiled species such as red cockaded woodpeckers, scrub jays, and gopher tortoises. Tucked among the small towns that dot the ridge is a patchwork of scrub habitat; home to numerous rare plants found nowhere else like Avon Park Harebells and Florida Ziziphus. The Ridge is among the most unique and fragile landscapes in Florida.

This region is projected to see dramatic conversions of vast tracts of open space to accommodate dense development over the next fifty years as the state climbs from 22 million people today, to 33 million by 2070. Without adequate foresight and planning, this landscape conversion will sever the corridor, limiting the capacity of these imperiled species to retain sustainable population levels which in turn will burden future generations with excessive species recovery costs that could otherwise be avoided.