A drive into cattle country, and far away from the theme parks and tourist hot spots in Florida, reveals millions of acres of grasslands and mixed forested and wetland areas. The jewel of Florida’s biodiversity and the host of natural wildlife that make our state home, is thanks to these wild spaces and large tracts of land, that are currently protected against urban development.
The change has happened gradually but persistently in Florida, as the growing demand for vacation homes and new communities built for retirees continues to increase annually. Residents already know all the advantages of living in Florida, and our state is one of the most popular and more affordable destinations for retirement aged Americans, who are moving to Florida in growing numbers.
Urban development teams in our local state government, are responsible for managing the demand for increased residential and resort building projects, with a need to conserve natural environmental areas for a variety of social, economic and ecological reasons.
In this article, we’ll take a look at a new study about the increasing pressure on Florida’s green spaces, and share how local agricultural producers and cattle ranchers, are part of the ‘front line’ to defend Florida’s green spaces.
The 2017 Florida 2070 and Water 2070 Report
Unless you are an environmentalist, urban planner or employed within the government in the State of Florida, it’s unlikely that you heard about the 2017 “Florida 2070” and “Water 2070” report. It was a joint research venture from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the University of Florida Geoplan Center and non-profit 1000 Friends of Florida.
The data in the study looked at the progression of urban development, and trends, as well as current projects being proposed in areas of our State regarding hotel and hospitality projects and residential condominiums or single-family housing.
The Florida 2070 data and research shows that if the same pace of development that our state is currently experiencing continues, more than 1/3 of the State of Florida will be paved by the year 2070. And that that means is the loss of millions of acres of agricultural and wild, undeveloped greenspaces that are needed to ensure the health of our fresh water, recreational and quality of life, as well as agricultural and ranching lands that provide hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities for Floridians.
The population of Florida is expected to grow to 33.7 million by the year 2070, which is about 15 million more full-time residents, in the next fifty years. Current building trends are low-density, which means standard developments with generous property allotments for each home. While all that extra space is certainly nice for homeowners, the trend for low-density residential construction is gobbling up more land area and contributing to urban sprawl.
If you are thinking that an increased population in Florida is a good thing economically, you are right; it can be. But with a large population increase comes a number of other problems. Where do they live? What jobs will they be employed in? How much more fresh water will we need to produce to support both residential and commercial business growth in the state? Will we be able to provide enough agricultural food products to support millions of new residents?
As population increases in Florida, so does the pressure on our natural resources. The Everglades, grassy conservation areas and wetlands provide an essential buffer against industrial and residential development; they are the filtration system behind the water we drink every day. But as more of our natural spaces that may be privately held by residents is sold and converted into residential or commercial development, we lose the environmental resources that our health, livelihoods and quality of life depend on.
Can you imagine Florida transforming into a state that is 100% resorts, residential developments, commercial and retail locations and no natural or green spaces? Not only would that change the culture of our state, it would obliterate the agricultural community, costing thousands of jobs for local residents, and hundreds of thousands of jobs from peripheral industries like trucking, maintenance, veterinary, seasonal agricultural and of course, cattle ranching.
Still not convinced that more people (and less green space) is a bad thing for Florida? Consider what would happen if we had few ranches, fruit and vegetable producers or agricultural families growing produce, poultry and more. In some countries overseas, where agricultural lands were not conserved and managed properly, imports are required for virtually all food products needed. If we lost that ability to provide much of what our local residents see in the grocery store ourselves, the cost of living and inflation would go up.
But that’s not the extent of the environmental damage caused by urban sprawl, and failure to conserve adequate amounts of green space. When a natural area is paved, the topsoil below the pavement is permanently damaged and depleted. It can take years to rehabilitate an area that was developed and turn it back into land that can produce agriculture products.
Developed areas don’t just irrevocably damage agricultural land; they pollute the water. You see, natural green spaces act as filters. As the water travels through these areas, and down through the soil and roots of plants and trees, it is filtered. Our wetlands provide that same function, helping to remove harmful pollutants and other risks to our freshwater supply. Developed or paved areas carry more contaminants, and they are filtered out less efficiently by waste processing and water treatment methods.
The important discussion in the “Florida 2070” and “Water 2070” report is that Florida’s natural environmental green spaces and agricultural lands are rapidly disappearing. Once they are gone, we won’t be able to get them back, and our economy, wildlife preservation, agricultural food sources, water quality and recreational quality of life will be irreparably damaged, if we don’t get serious about urban planning and ecological conservation now.
Florida Ranchers Pay Grazing Fees to the State on Protected Lands
The South Florida Water Management District is one positive example of land stewardship and conservation in our state. The District owns more than 1 million acres of public land for water management and environmental restoration projects. One of the programs that they administer is the Cattle Grazing Land Leasing Program.
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has a total of 77 land leases available and 51 of them are leased to cattle ranchers for grazing. The income from the lease contracts helps cover the expenses, while cattle ranchers contribute to responsibilities for safe use of the land, including maintaining it according to best management practices outlined by the SFWMD. Check out this video to learn more about how cattle ranchers (and their leasing of protected greenspace lands for grazing) are helping to make conservation efforts more viable.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/216572341?portrait=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/216572341">Cattle Grazing Land Leasing: Land Management Roundup</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/sfwmd">SFWMD</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Ranchers are also required to monitor access to natural fresh-water areas for their cattle and some areas or watersheds are excluded, to help protect water quality. Not only do ranchers get to use the land as part of the lease agreement, but grazing cattle help keep the grassy areas under control, aerated and fertilized naturally, to help support vegetation and growth.
In addition to participation in land lease programs across the state, Florida cattle ranchers are also highly vocal at the political level, to help conserve more land against the threat of urban sprawl. So, the next time you see a Florida cattle rancher, think of them as more than a beef producer; they are environmental guardians that participate actively to help protect Florida green space.