Print PageOf four North American tortoise species (genus Gopherus), the gopher tortoise (G. polyphemus) is the only one that occurs east of the Mississippi River. Destruction, fragmentation, and degradation of xeric upland habitats are the primary causes for an estimated 50-60% decline of tortoises in Florida over the last century. Conserving this declining, high-profile, keystone species is especially challenging due to its biology and its direct competition with a much greedier species for high, dry living space in a rapidly-changing state. Tortoises were also heavily harvested for food in the past, and some populations in the Florida Panhandle were severely depleted. The gopher tortoise is slow to reach sexual maturity, has low fecundity, and has a long life span. Deep burrows excavated in relatively well-drained sandy soils shelter the tortoise and serve as refuges for 350-400 other species; unfortunately, the conspicuous burrows can also draw in human predators and become potential tombs on development sites. Acquisition of uplands is only one piece of the tortoise habitat conservation puzzle; periodic land management such as controlled burning is necessary to maintain suitability for tortoises. Scientific and economic concerns must be balanced when relocating tortoises from proposed development sites, and Florida’s citizens must be educated to co-exist harmoniously with this innocuous species that burrows in their yards and pastures.
Results/Conclusions
The gopher tortoise was classified as Threatened in Florida in 2007, after having been a Species of Special Concern for nearly three decades. Harvest was prohibited in 1988, and tortoise burrows were given legal protection in 2006. A comprehensive management plan has guided tortoise conservation since 2007. The overall goal of the plan is to restore and maintain secure, viable populations of gopher tortoises throughout the species’ current range in Florida. The four objectives under that goal include habitat management, habitat preservation, restocking gopher tortoises, and decreasing tortoise morality on development sites. The extensive conservation actions outlined in the plan fall under the following broad categories: permitting, local government coordination, law enforcement, habitat preservation and management, population and disease management, landowner incentives, monitoring and research, and public awareness. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission internal team drafted the management plan and is overseeing its implementation. This team also coordinates with a wide spectrum of stakeholders to address and balance scientific and economic concerns associated with conserving gopher tortoises and thereby increasing the biodiversity of Florida’s uplands.
