By Julie Morris, Florida and Gulf Programs Manager and Dr. Tom Hoctor, Director, Center for Landscape Conservation Planning at the University of Florida.

Florida’s ranchlands are the ecological and food-producing heartland of southwest and south-central Florida. The Greater Everglades Region is a landscape that protects and produces a vibrant local food supply feeding a fast-growing population of Floridians; while also containing some of the highest biodiversity in the nation.

The national wildlife refuges and other conservation lands of Peninsular Florida.

To some, ranchlands may seem like unlikely allies in the effort to protect and restore water resources in Florida, but successful conservation and restoration work in this ecologically unique region requires the National Wildlife Refuge Association to partner with an essential and traditional working landscape that dominates rural southwest and south-central Florida. These ranchlands support one of the richest wildlife areas in the United States and play an important role in protecting and restoring water resources and providing a local food supply.

In the southern half of Florida, well-maintained cattle ranches are the most desirable land use (other than purely native habitat) as the pasture mimics much of the native landscape’s ecological functions and supports wildlife endemic to this open prairie region. Ranches also protect hundreds of thousands of acres of natural land along with the combination of native range and improved pasture used for managing livestock.

These cattle ranches are considered ‘low-intensity land use,’ and in this region protect essential habitat for a variety of endangered species including the Florida grasshopper sparrow, Florida panther, crested caracara, Everglade snail kite, and many more. Ranchlands also play a significant role in providing water storage and filtration services needed to maintain and restore water quality essential for both south Florida ecosystems and people.

In addition, local food security is essential for both providing locally abundant food resources in times of crisis and it reduces the demand for converting natural systems across the globe. Local food security will become increasingly important in the near future, and it shouldn’t take a pandemic or natural disaster to remind us of the importance of a sufficient and secure local food supply. Our work helps preserve Florida agriculture – one of the top three economic drivers in Florida -- safeguarding a vital industry that employs thousands and helps secure our nation’s food supply.

We are in a race against time to protect our water and wildlife and our critical ranchlands. Continued support for our efforts will help drive land and water conservation forward and help us conserve a disappearing landscape. For our wildlife, our water, and our food.