12/15/05

The overall goal for gopher tortoise conservation is to restore and maintain secure, viable populations of gopher tortoises throughout the species’ current (2005) range in Florida. The current cause of imperilment to the gopher tortoise identified by the biological status report is the rate of population decline, primarily due to habitat loss. Accomplishing this overall goal will require reducing the rate of gopher tortoise population decline to a level that qualifies the species for a less imperiled listing status, or removal from listing status.

Therefore the biological goal for the gopher tortoise is: decrease the rate of decline of the gopher tortoise so that, within one tortoise generation (30 years), the rate of decline is less than the percentage decline which defines the current listing category (i.e. < 50% over 3 generations to go from threatened to species of special concern; or < 30% over 3 generations to go from species of special concern to removal from the list.)

Specific measurable objectives to reduce the rate of decline will be addressed in the gopher tortoise species management plan. In order to reduce the rate of decline the primary objectives are:

• Increase occupied gopher tortoise habitat. There is currently no conclusive scientific population count for gopher tortoises. The rate of decline in population size is inferred from the rate of decline in habitat. Therefore increasing occupied gopher tortoise habitat would tend to decrease the rate of population decline. This would be accomplished through:
  • Additions to public land acquisition of habitat.
  • Additions to private protected lands, e.g. through conservation easements.
  • Enhanced management of public lands through FWC management and coordination with other public land managers. Enhanced management of private lands through education and
  • coordination with landowners and non-profits.
  • Restocking of public and private lands which are unoccupied or minimally occupied.
• Decrease gopher tortoise mortality on lands proposed for development. This would be a primary objective of gopher tortoise permitting.