The O2O is home to over 16 endangered and threatened species, including multiple “umbrella” species; species that are especially important in making conservation-related decisions because their protection indirectly protects many other species within the natural habitats the landscapes they are found in. The Florida Black Bear, Southern Fox Squirell, Striped Newt, Gopher Tortoise, Red Cockaded Woodpecker, Florida Scrub Jay and Sand Skink are examples of these species found in the longleaf pine, sandhill, scrub, mesic flatwoods, marshes and swamps of the region. The linkage also offers ideal potential habitat for future panther populations north of their existing range. Much of the state’s highest priority lands for biodiversity, landscape integrity, rare species habitat and potential habitat richness falls within the bounds of the O2O. 

Extensive timberlands make up over 53% of the unprotected land between the national forests, military installations and other protected lands in the area. In addition to providing habitat and corridors for many of the umbrella, endangered and threatened species, these working lands also provide ecosystem services such as timber production, carbon sequestration, and aquifer recharge; a critical consideration as this region is home to many of the state’s outstanding springs. They can often be operated as a less intensive commercial land use in comparison to intensive agriculture or development that is not compatible with the ecosystem services current timberlands provide. The majority of the state’s Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) identified sustainable forestry lands, existing and former pinelands with the potential to be managed to mimic natural pineland habitat, lie within the linkage.

The almost 100-mile-long critical linkage spans six major north and central Florida watersheds within the Floridan Aquifer. Countless springs, from first magnitude springs like Alexander Springs to small, ephemeral springs, that come and go with the seasons, are scattered throughout the O2O. The springs, riparian corridors, wetlands, lakes and other hydrologic components in the region are not only important for protecting the quality and supply of the state’s drinking water, but also act as habitat for many endemic, and endangered species and habitat and corridors for countless others. Millions of tourism dollars come from the recreational, hunting and fishing activities centered around the rivers an springs within the O2O. 

As a sentinel landscape, or areas where conservation areas, working lands, and national defense interests converge and collaborate to further conservation and military goals, the U.S. military play a critical role in not only the protection but active management of high-quality habitat that acts as buffer to military installations. Over 25 other federal, state and non-governmental organizations are responsible for the management of the protected lands in the linkage. Future protection is heavily dependent on building relationships and collaborations with working land owners between the preserved hubs.  

The Ocala – St. Johns – Kissimmee Critical linkage overlaps with the upper and middle St. Johns River Basin; a landscape blanketed in marsh, sawgrass and cypress domes, with peat rich soils that manage and filter surface waters. Numerous tributaries and streams stemming from Florida’s longest river, create a veiny network of east coast waterways in this still rural region between central Florida development and Atlantic coast beach towns. The St. Johns River’s journey tells a story of east coast culture, one intertwined with the diverse landscapes the river runs through and the culture that has blossomed from its banks through history. Emerging from the sawgrass marshlands of Blue Cypress Lake in Indian River County, the blackwater of the river moves slowly for over 300 miles. In total the river drops less than 30 feet, or an inch per mile, and in the southern extent experiences reverse flows twice a day in response to the incoming Atlantic Ocean tide. In Brevard County, the marsh morphs into a navigable riverway, meandering north through east coast ranchlands as it moves through a mosaic of springs, streams, tributaries and lakes in the Middle St. Johns Basin. Beyond the critical linkage, the river widens and ends its journey with the Atlantic Ocean just before the Florida-Georgia border. 

32% of unprotected land within the critical linkage, and much of the already protected adjacent lands, consist of a mosaic of Florida ranchland. Ranchlands critical role as corridors for wildlife and habitat connectivity and are especially important in this region to support the St John’s River hydrologic system to upland ecosystems and the urban areas from the center of the state to the coast.  

With the Orlando metropolitan area consuming most of the middle of the state and development between Orlando and Tampa fragmenting opportunities for an expansive corridor, this eastern region of the state provides the most viable north-south connection for the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and Florida Wildlife Corridor, hence it’s designation as priority one land. However, current and projected development pressures have sounded the alarm for the long-term viability of this linkage. Across all critical linkages, or priority 1 FEGN land, 14.7% of the network is unprotected and under threat by 2070. According to Florida 2070, approximately 62% of the Ocala-St. Johns -Kissimmee Critical Linkage is threatened by development , making it the most threatened linkage. Approximately 23.5% of that threat might be realized by 2040, according to current zoning and future land use plans for Osceola, Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Brevard Counties. In addition, road networks with little to no crossing opportunities for wildlife add challenges for the linkage. Additional toll roads planned across the region may offer new connections between our human communities, but ultimately create barriers for wildlife and fragment natural communities and the success of the FEGN in this region as well as the rest of the state. A viable Ocala – St. John’s – Kissimmee Critical Linkage will be dependent on close collaboration between conservation groups and developers to ensure corridor compatible planning is done to minimize negative impacts to the network as much as possible in the future.  

Unprotected Land Cover Map for the Ocala – St. Johns – Kissimmee Linkage

The future of the linkage is dependent on the protection of currently unprotected land within this FEGN / Florida Wildlife Corridor priority one region. This map provides a breakdown of the types of unprotected land cover in the Ocala – St. Johns – Kissimmee linkage.

Chances are, if you have seen iconic photos of Florida Manatees in crystal clear spring water, they were captured at one of the many rivers or spring basins local to this linkage. The Chassahowitzha, Withlacoochee, Crystal and Homosassa Rivers are home to numerous first magnitude springs, as well as hundreds of unnamed, hidden springs. Weeki Wachee, Homosassa, and Three Sisters Springs are popular recreation destinations as well as historic Florida tourism sites. They are also important warm-water refuges for manatees in the winter months. Each spring faces challenges due to saltwater intrusion, decrease in historic flow and nitrate enrichment. More frequently occurring Blue-green algae blooms from nitrogen pollution, is sounding the alarm for nutrient overload issues causing the degradation of water quality, aquatic habitat and public health risks. The degradation of water negatively impacts submerged aquatic vegetation growth, a vital resource for manatees that seek the spring for warm water refuge in the winter.

The Nature Coast Critical Linkage is highly endangered due to sea level rise and development threats. It has already been narrowed to its current state due to development west of U.S. Highway 19, and much of already protected tidal marshland is expected to be forever altered by sea level rise. These two threats can effectively squeeze this corridor to a point where too much fragmentation takes place for viable corridor connections. These pressures also have impacted the health of the local ecosystems, including the very waterways loved by those who call this region home, such as contributing the blue-green algae, reduced flow, and other negative impacts the springs of the region are facing.   

The focus for the future of the linkage is comprised of the preservation of two narrow networks: connect existing conservation lands west of U.S. Highway 19 to the conservation areas and ranches north of Citrus County; such as Gulf Hammock State Wildlife Management Area, and provide some connection between coastal conservation lands west of U.S. Highway 19 to Withlacoochee State Forest and other FEGN land that provide connections to the central portion of the state. This would allow for some coastal migration of habitat due to sea level rise, as well as preserve vital coastal to inland connections for species like the Florida Black Bear. The challenges for the Florida Black Bear, habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation as well as human-bear conflict, are especially prevalent in the nature coast region. The two pathways identified for future conservation efforts would provide northward and eastward connections that would benefit black bear movement and could alleviate human-bear conflict such as vehicle strikes from crossing roadways. However, safe outlets for bears to move from this isolated area is a concern as the nature coast population dwindles. 

Unprotected Land Cover Map for the Nature Coast Linkage

The future of the linkage is dependent on the protection of currently unprotected land within this FEGN / Florida Wildlife Corridor priority one region. This map provides a breakdown of the types of unprotected land cover in the Nature Coast linkage.

Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, where this critical linkage crosses through, are experiencing rapid growth as people grow more interested in this still rural corner of Florida. A joint study conducted by 1000 Friends of Florida and the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning found that Escambia County’s population is expected to grow over 9% from 2023-2040, and Santa Rosa’s population is expected to grow more than 24% over the same time frame. By 2070, Escambia county is expected to reflect a 22% population increase, and projects for Santa Rosa County show a significant 59% increase.   

Losing natural lands to development is not the only concern; approximately 6,000 acres are expected to be loss to sea level rise by 2040. Although smart growth could benefit the residents of the region, unchecked growth can hurt local culture, threaten history as well as thwart efforts for a successful Perdido-Eglin Critical Linkage and connecting the Florida corridor network to Alabama. Protection of important natural resources in the linkage also protects land important for water quality regulation, recreation, storm resilience, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and other ecosystem services.

Despite growth concerns, positive projects are occurring within the counties where the critical linkage lies. The Coastal Headwaters Longleaf Forest project is a proposed state land acquisition project that would preserve over 99,000 acres in its complete state. The project would preserve working timberland and provide resource protection for the Escambia River watershed. In addition to preserving timber production with sustainable forestry methods that include a 5-year prescribed fire rotation, ecological restoration to longleaf pine forest would occur on some tracks of land. The project would help protect rare plants and animals, such as the Florida Flame Azalea, White Top Pitcher Plant, reptile, and bird species. 

This linkage brings an important question for the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and conservation goals for the state: how do we work with adjacent states to ensure landscape connectivity across state borders? The Center for Landscape Conservation Planning strives to work with out-of-state partners in Alabama and Georgia to ensure Florida’s network of conservation land continues beyond the state. 
 

Unprotected Land Cover Maps for the Perdido-Eglin Linkage

The future of the linkage is dependent on the protection of currently unprotected land within this FEGN / Florida Wildlife Corridor priority one region. This map provides a breakdown of the types of unprotected land cover in the Perdido-Eglin linkage.

The Suwannee River region is almost entirely within the Ocala Karst Geomorphological District, a region identifiable for its varying karst features such as sinkholes, springs, caves, and abundant limestone outcrops. Over 300 springs have been documented within the Suwannee River Watershed, and it thus has one of the highest concentrations of freshwater springs in the county. In addition, over half of the state’s thirty-three first magnitude springs provide water for the river. The Suwannee has carved its way through limestone over millions of years, and most of the upper river region within critical linkage is contained by these iconic limestone banks.  Limestone formations not only have shaped the karst features of the landscape, but have influenced natural habitats, hydrology and human land uses. The Cody Escarpment, the shoreline of Florida from millions of year ago, runs through The Suwannee River region and influences much of the characteristics of the river. The upper Suwannee region, within the critical linkage, is characterized by clay soils that do not easily drain, a direct contrast to the well-drained sandy soils within the middle Suwannee River after the Cody Scarp. The source of water also shifts; uphill of the scarp the Suwannee is supplied mainly by surface waters, whereas groundwater becomes the main source as topography drops lower to the karst limestone.  

 
These characteristics of the region have led to a rural, agriculturally dominant landscape uphill from the banks of the Suwannee. However, agricultural runoff and septic leaching contribute to a water quality threat for the river; an increased level of nitrate water pollution. Development pressures are also on the rise, threatening rural land such as timber plantations that are essential parts of the rural economy as well as Florida Ecological Greenways Network and Florida Wildlife Corridor and make up approximately 50% of land unprotected in the critical linkage is pine plantation. These timberlands provide ecosystem services such as timber production, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and corridors, as well as surface water infiltration and land stabilization. These landscapes can be restored into more natural ecosystems, such as original longleaf pine habitat; which would greatly benefit the preservation of this narrow corridor and the health of the river ecosystem. A challenge for the protection of the Suwannee linkage is the fragmented landscape consisting of mostly small, privately owned parcels. Collaboration with these small landowners to find solutions for conservation is essential for the success of the linkage. 

The Kissimmee-Caloosahatchee linkage in its complete state would protect riparian corridors and their upland landscape west of Lake Okeechobee that plays an essential role as the headwaters of the Everglades, connect the Florida Panther’s range northward and preserving Florida’s native prairie region. The linkage also supports the heart of the Southwest Florida ranchland, preserving a way of life intertwined with conservation goals for the state of Florida, like the preservation of Florida’s Great Prairie Region. With models showing a slow loss of habitat due to sea level rise in the current occupied breeding range for the Florida Panther, this linkage is especially important for a viable future panther population that will move to future dry land inland and northward within the Caloosahatchee – Kissimmee region. 
 
The linkage follows two main river corridors: a western route encapsulating Fisheating Creek, and an eastern route that follows the Kissimmee River. The tannin-colored blackwaters of Fisheating Creek meander through swamps, marshes, forested wetlands and floodplain marsh, eventually making their way south slowly as the last naturally flowing tributary to Lake Okeechobee. The banks of Fisheating Creek ebbs and flows with Florida’s seasons; in winter dry months, the cypress lined swamps surrounding the creek dry up, acting as passageways for terrestrial animals like the Florida Panther and Black Bear.  The creek is a unique recreation, hunting and fishing destination for those who desire secluded excursions through pristine central Florida terrain or winding waterways.  

East of Fisheating Creek, the Kissimmee River originates just south of the Orlando metro area from East Lake Tohopekaliga before flowing south into the north shore of Lake Okeechobee. In contrast to Fisheating Creek, the Kissimmee River was heavily altered by humans from the 1950s – 1970s due to concerns over flooding threats to human habitation in the area. 103 meandering miles of river were channelized, widened and deepened to a new length of 56 miles, surrounding wetlands were drained and converted to agriculture or residential development, and locks and dams were installed to control water flow along the river-turned-canal. This resulted in an alarming decline of the ecological integrity of the Kissimmee River Basin ecosystem, Lake Okeechobee and ultimately the Everglades that depend on this riparian system. The ecological crises that resulted from the conversion of the Kissimmee River to the C-38 Canal turned the story into the “Canary in the Coal Mine” for water quality concerns in the central-south Florida region. The Kissimmee River Restoration Project, which began in the early 1990s, has been one of the most successful, and largest, examples of ecosystem restoration in the world. With it’s completion, almost 25,000 acres of wetland and over 45 miles of meandering river have been restored. Land protection in Caloosahatchee-Kissimmee Critical Linkage would further protect and enhance the efforts of this monumental restoration project. 

Both Fisheating Creek and the Kissimmee River support vital ecological processes that serve as the foundations for ecosystem services that many Floridians in central and south Florida depend on. The restoration of the Kissimmee River proved the importance of investing in the preservation of natural resources, not only for the integrity of habitat but for the benefits to humans they provide, such as aquifer recharge, natural flood management, improved water quality, recreation and more. The water purification that takes place along the waterways affects the quality of water that ultimately flows from Lake Okeechobee, through the Everglades, ultimately into the Florida Bay surrounding the Florida Keys. Other important waterbodies within the linkage include the Everglades and Caloosahatchee watersheds, as well as some of the Peace River Basin. All these riverine systems are critical waterways for the Everglades.  

 
Upland from the rivers, the Caloosahatchee-Kissimmee Linkage expands into the heart of Florida ranch territory. Although not identical to the virgin prairie that once blanketed the region, the ranch mosaic is an open, prairie-like system where many focal species (like the Crested Caracara, Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, and Florida Burrowing Owl) are present and thrive. The typical large ranges of ranchland not only offer a variety of habitats, but offer that habitat in an unfragmented condition, which is an essential component of successful regional corridors. Their intact wetlands, floodplains and large expanses of permeable ground provide significant ecosystem services, maintaining water quality, managing floodwaters, and allow for aquifer recharge. Preserving ranch operations in the linkage is not only important for conservation goals, but for the protection of Florida’s rural economy and way of life. Florida has the longest history of ranching out of all states in the country, and this heartland of Florida was where ranching in the state was first practiced. Today, many of the ranches within the Caloosahatchee-Kissimmee region are multigenerational operatives that continue to foster this unique Floridian history and culture. 

Unprotected Land Cover Map for the Kissimmee-Caloosahatchee Linkage

The future of the linkage is dependent on the protection of currently unprotected land within this FEGN / Florida Wildlife Corridor priority one region. This map provides a breakdown of the types of unprotected land cover in the Kissimmee-Caloosahatchee linkage.

The linkage’s unprotected land is comprised of approximately 40% pine plantation and 41% freshwater wetland ecosystems; tidal creeks and marshes, freshwater springs, hydric hammocks, mesic flatwoods, swamps and freshwater marshes. Both these types of land covers are essential for managing water quality and quantity; they assist in managing stormwater from intense storms and ensure high-quality surface water that feeds the sensitive estuarine ecosystems that are dependent on clean water and replenish the Floridan Aquifer.  Although not a natural ecosystem, timberlands that grow slash, loblolly, and sand pine are an extremely important component of Florida’s economy, rural character and conservation initiatives such as the FEGN. Timberland in the Big Bend provide ecosystem services such as timber production, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and corridors, as well as surface water infiltration. They can often be operated as a less intensive commercial land use in comparison to intensive agriculture or development that is not compatible with the ecosystem services current timberlands provide. In addition, these plantations can be restored into more natural ecosystems, such as original longleaf pine habitat; an important consideration as they face challenges from intensifying and more frequent storm events that can damage the timber crop.  

Expansive salt marshes and seagrass meadows, buffered by oyster bars and sandy keys in the Gulf of Mexico are the dominant habitats along the Big Bend coast. This linkage is one of Florida’s best examples of natural lands that act as buffers against major storm events. It also holds the most potential out of anywhere in Florida for coastal habitats to adapt and migrate inland due to sea level rise. Coastal retreat is often a challenge due to human-made barriers, but due to the Big Bend linkage’s predominantly rural land use, there is a significant natural and uninterrupted interface between the freshwater uplands and wetlands to the coastal wetlands and seagrass preserves. Carbon sequestration, shoreline stabilization and reduced coastal erosion, stormwater management and water quality regulation, increased landscape biodiversity, and supporting tourism, recreation and fisheries production are just some of the ecosystem services the natural communities of the big bend provide. Ample opportunity for coastal retreat also enables the region’s flora and fauna to adapt and survive to sea level rise and a changing climate. 
 
The Big Bend is one of the largest and most productive areas for marine shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico (IFAS), and the coastal community’s culture and local economy is intertwined with aquaculture. From pre-European settlement when the Apalachee Indians fished and harvested the Salt marshes and gulf, to the “watermen” of today who’s crab traps, boats, and scallop bags are iconic identifiers in town, the livelihood of those who live in this region is historically tied to the coastal resources that thrive in pristine estuarine ecosystems. Blue crab, oyster, shrimp, bay scallops, stone crabs, hard clams, and various species of fish are just some of the shellfish species important to the Big Bend economy. These shellfish require clean water and a healthy ecosystem to survive, meaning the success of these coastal communities and the integrity of the ecosystem are dependent on the preservation of the natural environment. Recreation; such as scalloping, fishing, bird watching, and exploring the vast network of water and land trails, is an iconic activity for locals and visitors alike. 

Unprotected Land Cover Map for the Big Bend Linkage

The future of the linkage is dependent on the protection of currently unprotected land within this FEGN / Florida Wildlife Corridor priority one region. This map provides a breakdown of the types of unprotected land cover in the Big Bend linkage.