Cores and Corridors – Recommended Reading
These documents will help you gain a statewide perspective on opportunities, plans and procedures necessary to implement the latest scientific information concerning habitat preservation within Florida. They explain the North American Model of Habitat Conservation which calls for large areas of core habitat connected by corridors of sufficient width so that all species may move freely between cores
Florida Wildlife Manual
Wildlife Habitat Planning Strategies, Design Features and Best Management Practices for Florida Communities and Landowners.
Complete manual online at http://www.floridahabitat.org/.
Contains easy to understand descriptions of needs, opportunities and strategies to preserve natural habitat on a statewide basis integrating the latest knowledge. The manual was prepared by the staff of 1000 Friends of Florida and made possible by a grant from the Florida Wildlife Legacy Initiative, a program of FFWCC.
Florida Black Bear Management Plan
Draft Black Bear Management Plan for Florida, Ursus americanus floridanus
Full document online here.
Contains the first draft of a statewide plan for Florida’s bears. Bureaucratic format hinders readability but contains a wealth of good info. Currently, Florida has only two state species management plans: gopher tortoise and Florida panther. Completion and publication of this manual will represent a major step in providing guidance to local planning agencies, and give them tools to better plan development that has a lessened impact on wildlife habitat. Remember: Bears are an umbrella species and securing their habitat also protects an entire pyramid of smaller flora and fauna.
Florida Greenways Network
Florida’s Evolving Large-scale Ecological Greenways System
Document online here.
Highly readable explanation of the “core and corridor” concept that underlies the North American model of habitat conservation. Prepared for 1000 Friends of Florida
Update Of The Florida Ecological Greenways Network
Document online here.
Somewhat technical but still readable explanation of how an interconnected mix of core habitat areas and connecting corridors can still be achieved in the state. This report covers the revision of the existing boundaries of the Florida Ecological Network to account for land use changes and to improve the delineation of areas of opportunity using new data and methods that enhance the identification of large, connected landscapes. Written by Dr. Tom Hoctor of UF.
