University of Florida

The University of Florida’s Center for Landscape Conservation Planning (CLCP) and GeoPlan Center have developed two new tools to support land protection decisions in Florida – a web map viewer and web-based dashboard for the Florida Ecological Greenway Network (FEGN). The FEGN is a statewide database that identifies and prioritizes a functionally connected statewide ecological ...

A new study, led by University of Florida forest management researcher Victoria Donovan, found that as woody plants like shrubs and trees replace herbaceous plants like grasses, spot fires can occur farther away from the original fire perimeter. This “woody encroachment” is not only a major issue in grasslands where the study takes place, but ...

Wildlife specialists with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) depend on geographic information to determine this lizard’s potential impacts on the environment, wildlife, and human health. They need more information to stay ahead. “We receive anecdotal reports of brown basilisks in areas where the reported sightings are thin and sporadic, but we ...

Scientists from the University of Florida, Auburn University and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program are using artificial intelligence technology to identify damaged seagrass beds in Tampa Bay — and so far, they’ve found almost 24,000 scars. “Seagrass is a critical habitat in Tampa Bay and is considered an indicator of a healthy estuary. It stabilizes ...