When people compare a map of Florida as it is currently to a map reflecting predicted development by the year 2060, there is usually a gasp.
The amount of anticipated development is stunning, and the byproduct is the loss of wildlife as the lands they inhabit become urbanized. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) tackled the challenge of predicting what may be in store for wildlife 50 years from now if growth trends continue. The results are available in the FWC publication "Wildlife 2060: What’s at stake for Florida?" This document looks at the future of Florida’s fish and wildlife resources in a practical and objective way.
The FWC report is based on a study, "Florida 2060" conducted by 1000 Friends of Florida (www.1000friendsofflorida.org), a not-for-profit organization that monitors growth in the state.
"As the state agency whose mission is to manage fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people, it is our responsibility to predict what could happen to the resources we have been charged to conserve. It is what people expect of us," said Ken Haddad, executive director of the FWC. "Our scientists and managers have ‘crunched’ the numbers for the Wildlife 2060 report and assessed what might happen to fish and wildlife if growth continues on its same course."
The report provides specific examples of how Florida’s species could be impacted by growth. Recent predictions indicate the state’s human population may double to 36 million in the next five decades.
The amount of urbanized land in Florida also is expected to double. To accommodate the increase in population, the report projects that by 2060, roughly 7 million additional acres of Florida land will be developed.
"The development of 7 million acres represents a substantial loss of habitat and exceeds the size of Vermont," said Dr. Thomas Eason, conservation initiatives coordinator for the FWC. "Continuing the current trend clearly would be detrimental to wildlife, but it also would be detrimental to people. Fishing, hunting, bird-watching, all kinds of outdoor activities, which brought many of us to Florida in the first place, would be greatly diminished. This affects our quality of life and our economy."
The revenue from hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and boating brings billions of dollars to the state annually.
Wildlife 2060 illustrates how continuing the past patterns of urban sprawl could result in fragmented natural places.