Dead land walking: the value of continued conservation efforts in south Florida’s imperiled pine rocklands

Authors: Jones, Ian; KOPTURE, SUZANNE - Florida International University

Submitted to: Biodiversity and Conservation Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2017
Publication Date: 9/16/2017
Citation: Jones, I.M., Kopture, S. 2017. Dead land walking: the value of continued conservation efforts in south Florida’s imperiled pine rocklands. Biodiversity and Conservation Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1433-6.

Interpretive Summary: The pine rocklands are deeply imperiled, fire-maintained habitats restricted to south Florida and the Caribbean. In south Florida, more than 98% of pine rockland habitat has been destroyed in the past century. Due to their proximity to human populations, management options in the remaining fragments are sometimes limited, and fires that are necessary to maintain healthy habitat structure are often suppressed. Despite these intense pressures, conservation initiatives in south Florida’s pine rocklands have been surprisingly successful, and plant extinction has, thus far, been avoided. In the coming decades, however, sea level rise threatens to all but eliminate the pine rocklands, and efforts to preserve their many endemic species will likely fail. We synthesize the results of numerous ecological studies and review the successes and failures of conservation in south Florida’s pine rocklands. Further, we illustrate the value of continued conservation efforts, and provide direction in the light of the habitats long term fate. Finally, we acclaim pine rocklands as a model system for studying how plant communities respond to environmental change. South Florida’s fragmented landscape, with shifting gradients of elevation, salinity, inundation and nutrient availability, should continue to inspire ecologists to address important questions, and better prepare the region, and the world, for the challenges of the coming decades.

Technical Abstract: Pine rocklands are deeply imperiled habitats restricted to south Florida and the Caribbean. In south Florida, more than 98% of pine rockland habitat has been destroyed in the past century (outside of Everglades National Park). Due to their proximity to human populations, management options in the remaining fragments are sometimes limited, and fires that are necessary to maintain healthy habitat structure are often suppressed. Despite these pressures, conservation initiatives in pine rocklands have been surprisingly successful, and plant extinction has been avoided. In the coming decades, however, sea-level rise threatens to all but eliminate the pine rocklands, and efforts to preserve their many endemic species will likely fail. We synthesize the results of numerous ecological studies and review the successes and failures of conservation in south Florida’s pine rocklands. Further, we illustrate the value of continued conservation efforts, and provide direction in the light of the habitats long-term fate. Finally, we acclaim pine rocklands as a model system for studying how plant communities respond to environmental change. South Florida’s fragmented landscape, with shifting gradients of elevation, salinity, inundation and nutrient availability, should continue to inspire ecologists to address important questions, and better prepare the region, and the world, for the challenges of the coming decades.