ARTICLE
Florida’s farmers, ranchers and foresters representing 181 properties over 200,000 acres have submitted applications to be considered for conservation easements over their lands. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will partner with the landowners to keep working agricultural operations as an essential part of Florida's landscape and economy. The RFLPP was established in 2001 to help keep Florida agriculture and natural resources on working lands intact in the face of an ever-increasing population. To date, the RFLPP has successfully acquired conservation easements on nearly 69,000 acres of working agricultural land in every region of the state. Agricultural lands are increasingly threatened by development, even in remote, rural areas of Florida, so the RFLPP coordinates with farmers and ranchers to ensure sustainable production practices while protecting natural resources. Many RFLPP project proposals were submitted from urbanizing counties such as Hillsborough, Polk, Sarasota, Volusia, and Walton to buffer growing cities from encroaching on Florida’s agricultural lands. In Southwest Florida, the Florida Conservation Group (FCG) submitted applications for various ranchlands in Hardee, DeSoto, Okeechobee, and Osceola counties to help keep those areas in cattle production. A focus in Southwest Florida is also on preserving the Peace River watershed and contributing to the health of the Greater Everglades region. Keeping these working lands viable throughout Florida provides not just sustained food production, but also the natural resource and wildlife benefits like water storage, wildlife corridors, biological diversity, and natural water filtration. Conservation work in the Everglades region competes with intensive development in South Florida, where FCG, together with its partner organization, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, is focusing on Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. That area supplies most of the water needed for Everglades restoration and drinking water for one-third of all Floridians. Working lands in the region also support some of Florida’s most critical species such as the Florida panther, Florida scrub-jay, Everglades snail kite, crested caracara, Florida grasshopper sparrow, and large populations of Florida’s iconic wading birds. Cattle and timberlands there play an essential role in protecting and restoring water resources while serving as one of the nation’s most important biodiversity hotspots. “Cattle ranches are the primary rural land use in these watersheds, and their protection means they will continue to provide important habitat, wildlife corridors, and the best opportunities for wetland restoration and water storage not just now but for generations,” said Jim Strickland, Vice-Chairman of FCG.. “These lands are a critical part of Old Florida and represent a way forward for our country’s food security.” The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will now review the submitted RFLPP applications for eligibility and create a list of projects in priority order that qualify for easement acquisition. The list of new applications will be paired with those from previous application cycles and ranked based on both natural resource and agricultural benefits. It is already clear that the number of proposed projects far exceeds the amount of current funding available to secure these working lands, and more funding is needed for the RFLPP in future state budgets to ensure protection of Florida’s working lands facing increasing threat of conversion to development
Florida’s farmers, ranchers and foresters representing 181 properties over 200,000 acres have submitted applications to be considered for conservation easements over their lands. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will partner with the landowners to keep working agricultural operations as an essential part of Florida's landscape and economy.
The RFLPP was established in 2001 to help keep Florida agriculture and natural resources on working lands intact in the face of an ever-increasing population. To date, the RFLPP has successfully acquired conservation easements on nearly 69,000 acres of working agricultural land in every region of the state. Agricultural lands are increasingly threatened by development, even in remote, rural areas of Florida, so the RFLPP coordinates with farmers and ranchers to ensure sustainable production practices while protecting natural resources.
Many RFLPP project proposals were submitted from urbanizing counties such as Hillsborough, Polk, Sarasota, Volusia, and Walton to buffer growing cities from encroaching on Florida’s agricultural lands. In Southwest Florida, the Florida Conservation Group (FCG) submitted applications for various ranchlands in Hardee, DeSoto, Okeechobee, and Osceola counties to help keep those areas in cattle production. A focus in Southwest Florida is also on preserving the Peace River watershed and contributing to the health of the Greater Everglades region. Keeping these working lands viable throughout Florida provides not just sustained food production, but also the natural resource and wildlife benefits like water storage, wildlife corridors, biological diversity, and natural water filtration.
Conservation work in the Everglades region competes with intensive development in South Florida, where FCG, together with its partner organization, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, is focusing on Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. That area supplies most of the water needed for Everglades restoration and drinking water for one-third of all Floridians. Working lands in the region also support some of Florida’s most critical species such as the Florida panther, Florida scrub-jay, Everglades snail kite, crested caracara, Florida grasshopper sparrow, and large populations of Florida’s iconic wading birds. Cattle and timberlands there play an essential role in protecting and restoring water resources while serving as one of the nation’s most important biodiversity hotspots.
“Cattle ranches are the primary rural land use in these watersheds, and their protection means they will continue to provide important habitat, wildlife corridors, and the best opportunities for wetland restoration and water storage not just now but for generations,” said Jim Strickland, Vice-Chairman of FCG.. “These lands are a critical part of Old Florida and represent a way forward for our country’s food security.”
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will now review the submitted RFLPP applications for eligibility and create a list of projects in priority order that qualify for easement acquisition. The list of new applications will be paired with those from previous application cycles and ranked based on both natural resource and agricultural benefits. It is already clear that the number of proposed projects far exceeds the amount of current funding available to secure these working lands, and more funding is needed for the RFLPP in future state budgets to ensure protection of Florida’s working lands facing increasing threat of conversion to development