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Elizabeth F. Pienaar Melissa M. Kreye Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Protecting the Florida Panther and Panther Habitat on Private Lands: Designing Incentives for Heterogeneous Landowners. Elizabeth F. Pienaar Melissa M. Kreye Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida. Management of the Florida Panther.

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Elizabeth F. Pienaar Melissa M. Kreye Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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  1. Protecting the Florida Panther and Panther Habitat on Private Lands: Designing Incentives for Heterogeneous Landowners Elizabeth F. Pienaar Melissa M. Kreye Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida

  2. Management of the Florida Panther • Population: 100 - 180 adults and sub-adults • Large home range • 435 - 978 sq km (males); 193 - 396 sq km (females) • Recovery of the Florida panther: • 3 populations (≥ 240 adults and sub-adults) • Conserve habitat: quality, quantity, spatial configuration • Natural dispersal of panthers and gene flow • Private rangelands critical to panther recovery • Mosaic of habitat types; edge effects; prey

  3. Endangered Species Act • Cannot attain ecologically or economically optimal habitat conservation: • Incidental take rules limited (Federal nexus) • 32,591 acres of important habitat developed • Large landscapes needed to support a viable population • Mitigation does not attain habitat contiguity • Incomplete information • Habitat conservation banking • Habitat conservation plans (combined with TDR)

  4. Moving Forward • Regulation-based conservation strategies have high opportunity costs • Time, effort and monetary costs (eg, legal fees, consulting fees) • How can habitat conservation on private lands be incentivized? • Flexible programs • Low implementation and monitoring costs • Direct and transparent link to Florida panthers/quantity and quality of panther habitat

  5. USFWS Pilot Program • Safe harbor agreement • Payment program: • Primary and dispersal zones • Parcels ≥ 50 acres • Tier 1 lands: $22.30/acre • 190,541 eligible acres • Tier 2 lands: $4/acre • 69,194 eligible acres • 10 year contract

  6. Safe Harbor Agreement • Success of SHA depends on: • Habitat requirements well documented • Habitat restoration occurs quickly, at low cost and effort • Habitat restoration benefits species • Stakeholder concerns: • Details of the SHA must be clearly documented (with opt out) • Transferable across landowners and generations • Other at risk species should be included • Collateral damage to neighboring landowners should be considered • Baseline of zero panthers is not justified

  7. Payment Program • Stakeholder concerns: • Not a PES program • No incentive for habitat restoration/protection in perpetuity • Institutional commitment and finances may expire in 10 years • Financing for program not assured ($4.5 million/year) • Implications for application of ESA north of Caloosahatchee • Reporting costs high • Leaseholders won’t receive payments • Lack of trust in agencies • Are livestock depredations offset?

  8. Potential Programs • PES program: • Establishment of service providers (landowners) • 1+ buyers (environmental NGOs, agencies) • Accurate estimation of opportunity costs of conservation • Precise metric for estimating quality and quantity of benefits • Institutions to monitor and enforce PES contracts and distribute payments • Per acre payment for panther habitat • Tax incentives • Depredation tags

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