How do you design a conservation agency that is as fluid and responsive as the wild animals it manages are to their habitats? Two years ago, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set out to do just that - to sharpen its effectiveness in meeting the needs of fish and wildlife and their habitats.

We have completed a two-year strategic planning process, based on input from citizens, stakeholders and agency staff and focused on consolidating core functions to make better use of our scientific expertise in managing the wild, living resources we Floridians treasure so deeply.

One of the features of the agency restructure is a focus on fish and wildlife habitats at the ecosystem level. While FWC has little real authority when it comes to habitat regulation, our stakeholders, across the board, said "No habitat, no fish and wildlife." Clearly, we need to pay far more attention to habitat from a science and management perspective and consider the big picture (ecosystem). Florida comprises a rich variety of vibrant and unique fish and wildlife habitats that are home to an incredible diversity of species, including some found nowhere else on this planet.

In Florida, the transition from upland to wetland to marine habitats is extremely subtle and often blurred by interspersion and mixing of habitat types created by the slightest changes in topography. When there are a variety of habitats in a given area - as there are in Florida - they work as an interconnected system with components that rely on each other like a chain. Changes in one of the habitats have consequences in other places. This ability to affect a range of habitats through a single action underscores the need for a broad ecosystem approach to managing fish and wildlife habitats.

The need to consider, monitor and manage habitats on a statewide basis is obvious when we examine the needs of such species as wood storks and snail kites. Both are imperiled species that require unique conditions for successful nesting and fledging of their young. These birds travel extensively to find ideal conditions. When extreme drought or excessive water levels occur in one of their habitat locations, we can help by creating ideal conditions in other parts of their range.

For example, we could delay a scheduled lake drawdown to accommodate key nesting periods or modify water release plans in a marsh restoration project to mimic ideal habitat conditions. However, we must first recognize the need before we can take appropriate action…thus, the need for an ecosystem-level focus.

Water is one of the most powerful forces in defining fish and wildlife habitats in this state. Because of our relatively flat topography, too much or too little water at the wrong time can yield devastating results. Recent events in the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system serve as graphic examples where water discharges from the Kissimmee Chain-of-lakes and Lake Okeechobee caused undesirable results. Although discharges benefited the lakes, they diluted the salt levels in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, causing fish kills, fish lesions and reduced survival of many larval fishes and crustaceans.

To help accomplish our objectives, the legislature approved a new Division of Habitat and Species Conservation to complement our traditional branches focusing on fishing, hunting and law enforcement. We have taken the habitat elements that had been spread across FWC and consolidated them in a single division to provide the ecosystem-level focus on habitat. Many of you may not know that we manage several million acres of public land in Florida including many in the Tampa Bay watershed. As a footnote, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (formerly the Florida Marine Research Institute) also was restructured to incorporate scientific programs on uplands, freshwater and saltwater, enhancing our capability to look at the ecosystem.

One thing is very clear - building unique and lasting partnerships with our sister agencies, engaging the public and providing cutting-edge science to help understand management of the ecosystem from a fish and wildlife perspective is the key to success, and with everyone working together, we will rise to the challenge.

Want to learn more?
Visit our web site at www.MyFWC.com.