The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is the last established representative of the Puma species remaining in the eastern U.S. Restricted to less than five percent of its historical range that once spanned across the Southeast, it occurs as a single breeding population found mostly in southwest Florida. Persecution, land clearing and other activities undertaken by early settlers caused panther numbers to plummet: when the Endangered Species Act (ESA) became law in 1973, the Florida panther population was estimated at as few as 12-20 individuals. The ESA prompted efforts to halt the panther’s downward spiral toward extinction and ushered in conservation programs that helped the panther population to grow to an estimated population of 120 to 230 adults in southwest Florida today.
The Florida panther’s greatest threat comes in the form of habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. Vehicle collisions are the leading human cause of injury and death to panthers; dozens are killed while crossing roads each year (a record 34 were killed in 2016), which makes it harder for the small population to expand northward, which is essential for population expansion and species recovery. Poorly planned roads can eliminate and fragment habitat and result in sprawling development that increases the occurrence of human-panther conflicts. A series of transportation actions or inaction can have far reaching consequences for panther survival, dispersal and recovery.
Florida was one of the first states to recognize the importance of wildlife crossings to make roads safer for motorists and wildlife. During the conversion of the two-lane State Road 84 to the four-lane Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley) starting in the 1970s and finishing in the 1990s, FDOT included 35 underpasses and fencing along more than 40 miles of Alligator Alley to help save panthers from extinction. Since then, additional wildlife crossings and slow-speed zones have been implemented on adjacent roadways, with more planned to protect panthers on other road segments.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) established the current Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team (PRIT) in 2013 to prioritize and facilitate activities to further panther recovery goals. Recognizing the threats and limitations to panther recovery posed by transportation systems and policies, PRIT established a Transportation SubTeam to address vehicular mortality, habitat loss and fragmentation of travel routes and to advise FWS and PRIT on actions to make roads safer for panthers.
Our session will review work products and ongoing efforts of the PRIT Transportation SubTeam to help guide decision making, planning and funding to make roads safer for panthers: mapping hotspots in southwest Florida, modelling least cost pathways in south and central Florida, identifying opportunities for wildlife permeability across I-4 and retrofitting bridges to facilitate panther movement.