Over the next 50 years, Florida's human population is expected to double to
36 million residents, according to a recent study sponsored by 1000 Friends of Florida. If we continue to develop as we have in the past, the space needed to accommodate this growth will equal an area larger than the state of Vermont - about 7 million acres. The loss of so much rural, agricultural, and natural lands will have large consequences for fish and wildlife and those who enjoy them. More on the Wildlife 2060 report.
The Cooperative Conservation Blueprint (CCB) is a major multi-partner strategic planning step that Florida's Wildlife Legacy Initiative is undertaking in light of this study. The CCB process creates an alternate vision of what we want our state to look like by incorporating wildlife habitat needs as well as social and economic priorities. Through our efforts we've brought private industry and landowners, government, and conservation organizations into common discussions about the future of Florida on a holistic scale.
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"The Cooperative Conservation Blueprint effort has been invaluable in helping to create a proactive conservation framework for Florida that leads the nation." - Steve Seibert, past Director of the Century Commission
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CCB builds on the Century Commission's Critical Land and Waters Identification Project (CLIP). CLIP uses science and the best available statewide spatial data to show Florida's critical environmental resources in a database that can be used as a decision-support tool for collaborative statewide and regional conservation and land use planning to envision and ensure the sustainability of Florida's green infrastructure and vital ecosystem services.
Using CLIP as the foundation, the CCB effort plans to incorporate social and economic priorities, and create the incentives necessary to make our alternate vision of Florida's future a reality. We are currently working with over 50 partners to craft an integrated conservation system in Florida that increases land use options for private owners AND will ensure healthy natural resources for future generations of Floridians. CCB partners are currently working to develop incentives around land, water and carbon markets. These incentives will play a pivotal role in allowing us to build this effort using a non-regulatory approach that works with people, not against them.
The Cooperative Conservation Blueprint is about creating a bold vision for our state's future, 25-50 years from today. It will be a collaborative effort that integrates environmental, social and economic considerations to enhance the quality of life for future generations of Floridians.
For more information about CCB, please contact Brian Branciforte.
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