THE MAPS

Mapping The Florida Wildlife Corridor

Watercolor Map

The vision of the Corridor is depicted beautifully in this watercolor map; original painting by Mike Reagan, designed by Carlton Ward Jr, Tom Hoctor, Richard Hilsenbeck, Mallory Lykes Dimmitt and Joe Guthrie. Explore the maps that follow to gain further insight on the rich natural heritage of our State, especially within these important lands.

Download PDF

The Corridor

The Florida Wildlife Corridor covers nearly 17.7 million acres of Florida. 9.6 million acres of the Corridor are existing conserved lands, or 54% of the Corridor. 8.1 million acres of the Corridor are considered as opportunity areas for future conservation, or 46% of the Corridor.

Download PDF

Conserved Lands

There are state and federal programs that identify high priority projects in the state of Florida – Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. 1.8 million acres of proposed Florida Forever projects are in the Corridor, which accounts for 22% of Corridor opportunity areas. 163,000 acres of proposed Tier 1 Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) projects are in the Corridor. 86% of these 163,000 acres lie within the Corridor.

Critical Linkage

The FEGN’s highest priorities, named Critical Linkages, identify the best remaining opportunities to functionally connect major existing public and private conservation lands across the state. Once protected, the Critical Linkages would connect all of Florida’s largest existing conservation lands into one functional statewide ecological network.

Download PDF

Corridor Opportunity Areas

The Corridor is composed of hundreds of parcels of protected land, from Flagler County’s 30 acre Bull Creek Campground, to the 1.5 million acre Everglades National Park. The roughly 10 million acres of Existing Conservation Area illustrated in light green in the map above includes working lands protected with conservation easements. The dark green extent highlights the approximate 8 million acres of unprotected lands that remain. These Corridor Opportunity Areas are high priority lands that connect and support the wild legacy of our parks, preserves, refuges.

Download PDF

Our Corridor By The Numbers

18 MILLION ACRES OF LAND

The Florida Wildlife Corridor encompasses nearly 17.7 million acres – 9.6 million acres (54%) that are already protected and 8.1 million acres (46%) of remaining opportunity areas that do not have conservation status.

MILLIONS OF ACRES ARE RANCHES & TIMBERLAND

Of the 17.7 million acres the Florida Wildlife Corridor encompasses, 7 million acres are composed of working lands – ranchlands and timberlands. These working lands are a vital component to conservation in Florida.

Of the 8.1 million acres of opportunity area, 33% are ranchlands and 43% are timberlands.

CERTAIN LANDS ARE HIGHER PRIORITY

There are state and federal programs that identify high priority projects in the state of Florida – Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

There are 1.8 million acres of proposed Florida Forever projects in the Corridor, which accounts for 22% of Corridor opportunity areas.

There are 163,000 acres of proposed Tier 1 Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) projects in the Corridor. 86% of these 163,000 acres lie within the Corridor.

PROTECTED LAND BREAKDOWN BY OWNERSHIP

Protected areas include 4.2 million acres of federal land, 5.7 million acres of state land, 518 thousand acres of county and city land and 311 thousand acres of private land with permanent conservation status..

THE EFFECTS OF HABITAT LOSS

Habitat loss and fragmentation are primary drivers of plant and animal population declines. The Florida Wildlife Corridor provides essential habitat and connectivity for many of Florida’s 131 imperiled animals and 567 imperiled plants.

THREATENED & ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Florida Wildlife Corridor helps protect the habitats of Florida’s threatened and endangered species. This includes iconic wildlife such as Crested Caracara, Snail Kite, Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, Florida Scrub-Jay, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Whooping Crane, Wood Stork, Florida Panther, West Indian Manatee, Gulf Sturgeon, Okaloosa Darter, Sand Skink, and Eastern Indigo Snake.

WATERWAYS WITHIN THE CORRIDOR

There are 1,346 named rivers and streams crossing the Corridor that include 1,683 miles of designated paddling trails. There are also 6,273 miles of trails within the Corridor; including 1,085 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

STATE PARKS & FORESTS

The Corridor includes 75 Florida State Park and 32 State Forests.

SPRINGS WITHIN THE CORRIDOR

The Corridor includes 171 first and second magnitude springs and portions of 23 of Florida’s 30 Outstanding Springs springsheds are in the Corridor.