Basic landscape management principles are the foundation of successful conservation.  These principles may serve as the criteria for evaluating and prioritizing areas for conservation programs. Criteria may vary according to the management and regulatory agencies and their missions. For instance, water management agencies as a primary responsibility may prioritize habitats differently than agencies managing endangered species. Here are seven broad criteria for evaluating and prioritizing areas under the Farmland Stewardship Program. These criteria address the preservation of the Florida Panther, but could be modified, as warranted.

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR CANDIDATE LANDS
Primary Objective: Preservation of the Florida Panther

1. Location - do the candidate lands occur in areas of known, suspected, or potential use by the Florida panther?

2. Size - what is the size of the contiguous area encompassed by natural areas within the candidate lands? Do these natural areas possess habitats known to provide for the needs of the panther (panther home range: female = 75 sq mi; male = 200 sq mi.)?

3. Fragmentation - what is the patch density of natural areas and the ratio of natural areas to other land-use types in the area under consideration?

4. Connectivity - what is the inter-patch distance among natural areas within the candidate lands? What is the distance of candidate lands to other protected natural areas (public or private) that support panther habitat? Do barriers exist to panther movement among these areas?

5. Quality - what is the condition of the candidate lands under consideration? Are these habitats in degraded ecological condition due to fire suppression, invasion by exotic plants, clear-cutting, over-grazing, pollution, or other factors?

6. Human activity - what is the intensity of human activity (residential…) within and surrounding candidate lands and will this negatively affect use or travel among these areas by panthers? Can a habitat management program (prescribed fire…) be effectively implemented on the candidate lands?

7. Other ecological attributes (secondary criteria) - do the candidate lands provide other ecological attributes such as habitat for threatened and endangered plants and wildlife, important hydrological functions, or other ecological attributes and services that are important components to management of the ecosystem.

Literature Cited: Noss, R. F., O'Connell, M. A., and D. D. Murphy. 1997. The Science of Conservation Planning. Island Press, Washington, D.C. 246 pp.

submitted by:

Martin B. Main, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
University of Florida
2686 State Rd. 29
North Immokalee, Florida 34142