Florida has long been a land of steamy swamps, great pine and cypress forests, and expansive prairies, where black bears, gopher tortoises, and endangered Florida panthers still roam wild.

But the state’s human population, which is growing by more than a thousand people each day on average, threatens the future of these wild spaces and species.

To protect the land, animals, and humans’ quality of life, state officials and conservationists have been working to protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a green network of open spaces stretching through the state that includes wild landscapes, pastureland, citrus groves, and the outskirts of suburbs. Maintaining habitat is crucial for the genetic health of wide-ranging creatures such as panthers and the environment’s ecological functionality.

In June 2021,