Funding Currently Restricted to areas near Avon Park Air Force Range
Expansion to New Areas Based On New Funding Sources
The Florida Wildlife Corridor PES Pilot program is designed to provide financial compensation to landowners to maintain their land in an undeveloped state and provide one or more of three ecosystem services:
Landowners receive annual payments for the duration of a 5-year contract, subject to compliance and monitoring requirements.
The PES Pilot program can help protect lands from development, buying time to explore additional conservation opportunities while maintaining the ecosystem services that benefit Floridians.
FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Eligible Applicants
SIZE OF PROPERTY
Landowners of any size can participate, but eligibility will depend on location in Florida Wildlife Corridor Opportunity Areas and funding availability.
ENTITY TYPE
Private landowners with lands that maintain open space within the boundaries of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
EXPECTED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
The ecosystem services of initial focus include habitat connectivity, water quality, and aquifer recharge.
Ecosystem services will be quantified using metrics obtained through the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) GIS database.
LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT
Eligible landowners must maintain enrolled lands as agricultural/working lands or open space. Sale or conversion of land to residential or commercial development will disqualify properties from participation.
Application Requirements
While the program is voluntary, eligible landowners who wish to apply will be required to complete a program application and provide the following information:
-
Location and total acreage of parcel(s) the applicant is seeking to enroll (currently limited based on funding source to the area shown in the Avon Park Air Force region map)
-
Crops grown or other major land use of the parcel(s)
-
Future plans for the property
-
Participation in other PES or cost share programs
-
Any active or pending permits
-
A map that delineates all parcel(s) the applicant wishes to enroll in the PES program
-
Contact information
-
Applicant must be adjacent to or near a Military Influence Protection Area boundary
Partners
Full application and draft contract documents coming soon.
About the PES Program
The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation teamed with The Balmoral Group to develop the Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) framework. The team used University of Florida-produced data to identify locations within the Florida Wildlife Corridor where specific ecosystem services have been identified, and the level (high, medium, low) of ecosystem services in an area. This determination is based on factors like soil type, proximity to wetlands, fragmentation of the landscape, etc. The objective is to clearly quantify ecosystem services in a transparent fashion to provide incentives to landowners as an alternative or addition to permanent land protection.
This program gives landowners another way to protect their property from development. It works alongside other voluntary options like conservation easements and land purchases to keep land and water safe forever. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) help cover the cost of choosing conservation instead of development, making it easier to keep the Florida Wildlife Corridor connected and keep land use compatible with nature.
