OSPREY, FL (April 22, 2025) Big Waters Land Trust is thrilled to unveil their new 2030 Conservation Plan (CP). Their data-driven strategy is prioritized by their six conservation values – Clean Water, Imperiled Species, Coastal Resiliency, Sustainable Agriculture, Access for All, and Carbon Sequestration – and focuses their work where they can have the greatest impact in these specific areas. Grounded in ecological and social science research, geospatial data, and stakeholder collaboration, the CP outlines a proactive and landscape-scale approach to land conservation, identifying which places needs to be saved now. By strategically targeting the most urgent conservation opportunities, Big Waters aims to address current environmental challenges and build a framework for future resilience across Southwest Florida’s landscapes and communities.
“It is our hope that this plan leads to new partnerships, increased resources, and more land saved quickly,” comments Christine P. Johnson, president of Big Waters Land Trust. “It will take private and public funding to achieve our audacious goals, and we are in a race against time, yet with the continued support of our conservation community, we will protect the land and water Southwest Florida needs to thrive.”
For the past year, Big Waters worked with Shafer Consulting to research Southwest Florida’s land-based challenges and concerns. Their service area, which includes Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and parts of Hillsborough, Hardee, DeSoto, and Glades Counties, features a diverse geography characterized by natural ecosystems, agricultural lands, rapidly urbanizing areas, and culturally significant communities. Their service area also includes the critical watersheds of the Manatee, Myakka, Peace, and Caloosahatchee Rivers, connecting inland ecosystems to coastal estuaries. The health of our coast depends on these coastal wetlands, mangroves, and seagrass beds, which drive tourism and our economy. Rivers and their floodplains provide crucial drinking water and flood protection, while upland habitats like pine flatwoods and oak scrub support wildlife and ensure abundant and clean drinking water.
Unfortunately, rapid urbanization in coastal cities like Bradenton, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and Naples drives development pressure both on the coast and inland, where urban sprawl threatens remaining natural and agricultural lands. Agricultural producers are under tremendous pressure to sell their land for development, and phosphate mining operations continue to expand. Rising sea levels exacerbate risks like storm surges, habitat loss, and saltwater intrusion, highlighting the urgent need for coastal resilience to protect our communities from the continued impacts of climate change.
The success and well-being of our region depends on the health and well-being of our land and water, and a laser-focused approach to protecting that land and water is of the utmost importance. With their new 2030 Conservation Plan, Big Waters Land Trust now has a data-driven plan focusing their work on the most important places to protect.
In the plan, the accredited, non-profit, regional land trust identifies nine high-priority geographic areas within their service area that have the greatest potential to benefit their six Conservation Values. Identified using a Geographic Information System (GIS) decision model, these are their new targeted Focus Areas. In the analysis, GIS data was selected to represent each Conservation Value. Big Waters evaluated nearly 100 datasets and selected fifteen — twelve core natural and community resource data layers and three data layers representing potential development risk. Big Waters’ GIS model identified which sub-watersheds contain the highest concentration of Conservation Values, using normalized scaled metrics, as well as which sub-watersheds are most at-risk of development. This showed 24 priority sub-watersheds clustered into nine geographic areas. These nine Focus Areas are where they will concentrate the bulk of their work: Terra Ceia, Upper Manatee River, Lower Myakka River, Myakka Ranchlands, Lower Peace River, Jacks Branch-Long Island Marsh, Corkscrew Swamp, Charlotte Harbor, and Cape Coral.
“By strategically identifying and then concentrating our efforts in these nine Focus Areas, we will maximize our chances of success and therefore maximize our donors’ return on investment in our mission,” notes Brooke Langston, Big Waters’ director of land protection. “We will still continue to protect land outside of Focus Areas; however, this work will primarily be reactive, mostly in response to landowner inquiries and partner requests, rather than proactive.”
Much of Big Waters’ 2030 Conservation Plan is proprietary and private; however, a portion of the document is available for public review. View the public portion and read more about each Focus Area online at bigwaterslandtrust.org/scp.
Those interested in learning more about how to protect their land, including funding resources available, are encouraged to complete Big Waters’ online contact form at bigwaterslandtrust.org/savemyland or call their office at 941-918-2100.
About Big Waters Land Trust
Big Waters protects land and water in Southwest Florida for the benefit of people and nature. Through strategic collaborations with individuals, groups, organizations, and government, they work to ensure all people have access to clean water, fresh air, nutritious food, abundant wildlife, beautiful natural areas to enjoy, and all the other physical and mental benefits nature provides. Their vital work strengthens Southwest Florida’s resiliency to storms and floods, enriches lives, and helps safeguard our community for generations to come. Learn more at bigwaterslandtrust.org.
