Billion Dollar State Land Conservation Proposal

The Florida Legislature recently proposed a conservation bill totaling $1 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. If passed, the Ocala to Osceaola Wildlife Corridor (O2O) could receive upwards of $800 million.

According to the North Florida Land Trust, “the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor (O2O) is a 100 mile long, 1.6-million acre, landscape of public and private lands that connect the Ocala and Osceola National Forests. The O2O includes priority lands for the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN), and is a significant part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. If the system of natural landscapes and connector lands is protected, the O2O will continue to provide habitat for Florida black bears and imperiled species like the red-cockaded woodpecker, indigo snake and gopher tortoise.  In addition, there are opportunities for protecting iconic Florida ecosystems, including longleaf pine forests, sandhills, and scrub in the O2O.”

The benefits of the O2O Wildlife Corridor include:

• Synergy of conservation programs: better coordination of conservation efforts among partner organizations including better landowner outreach and leveraging additional funding.
• Protection of wildlife habitat and natural resources: enhanced conservation will help > 16 endangered and threatened species and wide-ranging mammals such as the Florida Black Bear.
• Protection of working forestry: provide incentives for improved forest management for conservation and economic benefit
• Preserving existing water quality: Preservation and improvement of the lands within the corridor will improve water quality within the numerous watersheds of the O2O.

The Governor has not yet signed off on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.