In another 50 years, when the state’s population doubles, what will happen to Florida’s wildlife?
An end to the rich animal diversity of our state, suggests a new report conducted by the 1000 Friends of Florida.
Among their findings:
- More than 7 million acres of farmland, woodland and other habitat will be converted to roads, shopping malls and subdivisions.
- Black bears will lose over 2 million acres of land they have now. A fifth of all gopher tortoise land will also be gone.
- The natural land left will be fragmented and increasingly hostile to wildlife.
- Some coastal counties like Flagler and St. Johns could lose as much as half of their current sea turtle nesting sites.
- Floridians are projected to use a billion more gallons of water a day in 2060, threatening protected bodies of water.
- As humans take up more land, animal attacks could increase. If trends hold true, alligator complaints could triple and black bear complaints could skyrocket.
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2008.
