BH-8 Continue and Enhance Habitat Mapping and Monitoring Programs
ACTION:
Expand habitat mapping and monitoring programs to assess extent and quality of bay habitats,
including seagrass, benthic, hard-bottom, emergent coastal and associated upland habitats.
Assess new technologies as they become available. Assess the need for additional monitoring of
emerging contaminants and tidal tributaries.
STATUS:
Ongoing. Action is being revised to recognize the evolving role of emerging technologies for
habitat assessment (including remote sensing, sonar and digital imagery). Action also assesses
the need for additional monitoring and laboratory analyses for emerging benthic contaminants,
and monitoring needed to improve understanding of ecological function and stressors in tidal
tributaries and river systems.
BACKGROUND:
Substantial progress has been made on expanding mapping and monitoring of bay habitats
beyond seagrass and benthic communities that will help inform habitat restoration and protection
targets for a variety of habitats (BH-1).
SWFWMD continues to map seagrass acreage every two years using aerial photography, while
local government partners have helped ground-truth seagrass quality at selected transects
throughout the bay since 1988. In 2015, seagrass coverage measured 40,000+ acres, surpassing
the initial seagrass restoration goal of 38,000 acres. Despite these gains, seagrass communities
are still vulnerable to environmental variability (such as heavy rainfall events) and human
impacts (such as boat propellers and groundings). Although overall acreage is up, there are still
areas of the bay that experience swings in seagrass coverage due to variable annual conditions
(e.g. Feather Sound, Bayshore Blvd. area in Hillsborough Bay, and others). Continued biannual
mapping of baywide seagrass coverage is necessary to identify and protect sensitive and
impacted areas.
The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County coordinates benthic
monitoring (animals living on or in the bay bottom sediments) and chemical conditions with
participation from Manatee and Pinellas Counties. Benthic monitoring has been ongoing since
1993 with over 1500 samples analyzed for environmental characteristics, including sediment
chemistry and benthic community composition. The condition of Tampa Bay benthic
communities baywide has been “Fair” to “Poor” over the last 20 years, with “Good” conditions
in Middle and Lower Tampa Bay in most years. There is continued need for benthic monitoring
in Tampa Bay especially targeting hotspots of contamination. Other recommendations include
expanding laboratory analysis of sediment contaminants to include new or emerging compounds
(e.g., microplastics, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, etc.), and increasing monitoring
efforts in the major river systems (e.g., Hillsborough, Palm, Alafia and Little Manatee Rivers)
and minor tidal tributaries.
Coastal marshes and mangrove forests have been mapped and quantified using traditional
photointerpretation techniques, allowing restoration targets to be established. However, new
approaches and techniques to capture large- and small-scale changes are required, especially for
understanding and potentially mitigating for climate change. Several new monitoring techniques
designed to detect small-scale changes resulting from climate change and sea level rise (SLR) are
being tested and compared for effectiveness and cost-saving as part of the Critical Coastal
Habitat Assessment initiated in 2014. Large-scale habitat changes could be detected using new
automated digital aerial or satellite imagery processing techniques currently in development. If
these techniques prove to be accurate, precise and cost-effective, high resolution aerial imagery
currently being collected by SWFWMD could yield detailed habitat maps, and combined with
digital elevation data could help assess the fate of low lying areas and identify opportunities to
restore or purchase land so habitats can migrate landward in response to SLR.
Mapping and monitoring of tidal flats and oyster communities began in 2012 as part of seagrass
aerial surveys conducted by SWFWMD. Beginning in 2015, new standards for interpreting
oyster reefs and tidal flats from aerial photography are being instituted for greater accuracy, and
new survey techniques such as sidescan sonar and underwater video are being used to map hardbottom habitats, such as fossilized coral and limestone. Protection and restoration targets will be
developed as part of the mapping effort to be completed by SWFWMD by mid-2016 (BH-4).
Freshwater wetland habitat was mapped for the entire Tampa Bay watershed using land cover
map products derived from aerial imagery taken in 1950 and 2007. Maps were analyzed to
compare the change in quantity and quality of wetland habitat over time and show one-third of
freshwater wetlands have been lost since 1950 (mostly non-forested wetlands). These data were
used to help set restoration and protection targets and develop the Freshwater Wetland Habitat
Master Plan (BH-10).
In the Tampa Bay watershed, coastal uplands are important buffers between sensitive tidal
wetlands and urban and agricultural development. Yet the status of coastal upland habitats in
Tampa Bay has not been mapped in detail. Based on generalized land cover maps, an estimated
12,929 acres of coastal uplands occur in the Tampa Bay watershed, and improved quantitative
assessments are needed to develop numeric targets for restoration. A comprehensive
mapping program for invasive plants does not exist, although various agencies maintain some
location-specific information about invasive plants on their environmental lands. These local
data could be augmented via citizen science using mobile devices and apps.
STRATEGY:
Activity 1: Continue the existing mapping and monitoring programs. Continue to identify areas
where coastal habitat recovery is lagging, highly variable, or threatened.
Incorporate data and observations from existing mapping and monitoring
programs (e.g. CCHA, seagrass mapping). Periodically summarize mapping and
monitoring efforts for critical coastal habitats in a synthesis document such as, the
Bay Environmental Monitoring Report (BEMR) or State of the Bay reports.
Responsible Parties:
 Seagrass, tidal flats and oyster reef aerial coverage mapping: SWFWMD (lead)
 Land use/land cover mapping: SWFWMD (lead)

Seagrass Transect monitoring: TBEP (lead coordinator) with implementing
partners including SWFWMD, Manatee County, Pinellas County, EPCHC,
Tampa Bay Watch
 Coastal habitats, low-salinity habitats and freshwater wetlands maps using
SWFWMD land use/land cover data: TBEP (lead), with implementing partners
of the CCHA
 Benthic monitoring: EPCHC (lead) with implementing partners Pinellas County
and Manatee County
 Identify areas of concern: TBEP (lead) through Bay Habitat Master Plan every 5
years
 Periodically summarize mapping and monitoring results: TBEP (coordinator)
with implementing partners including local governments, SWFWMD, FWC,
USGS, FDEP, Tampa Bay Water.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Cost and potential funding sources: $$$. Ongoing mapping and monitoring programs
are funded by local governments (EPCHC, Pinellas and Manatee counties),
SWFWMD, and Section 320 funds (TBEP Habitat Masterplan, support for
benthic monitoring programs). Periodic synthesis reports funded by 320 funds
and staff time from contributing partners.
Location: Baywide
Benefit/Performance measures: Track conditions and trends in habitats throughout
Tampa Bay
Results: Detailed mapping and monitoring data on habitat extent and quality help set and
assess targets.
Deliverables:
 Reports (BEMR, State of the Bay) on status and trends in bay habitats and benthic
communities
 Habitat Masterplan updates
Activity 2: Use new technologies, as they emerge and are proven, to track habitat quantity and
quality in the Tampa Bay watershed. Priority habitats include coastal marshes and mangrove
forests, tidal creeks (BH-9, BH-11), oligohaline habitats and freshwater wetlands (BH-10), hard
bottom and oyster reef communities (BH-4), and associated uplands, including natural, restored
or created habitats. Support new efforts to map invasive plants using mobile devices (IS-2).
Collaborate with private sector entities that may be using new technologies in their
environmental monitoring programs.
Responsible Parties:
 Apply new technologies, including sidescan sonar, for underwater habitat
mapping: SWFWMD (lead)
 Apply new technologies, including aerial photo transects using drones, for coastal
habitats status and trends: TBEP (lead)
 Evaluate mobile devises to map invasive plants in upland habitats: Florida
Invasive Species Partnership (lead)

Support evaluation of other new technologies as they become available: potential
implementing partners include private companies, academic institutions,
SWFWMD, EPA, FDEP
Timeframe: Ongoing. Other technologies to be tested as they become available.
Cost and potential funding sources: $$-$$$. Ongoing testing of new technologies are
being funded by SWFWMD, TBERF, EPA Wetland Development Grant funds
and Section 320 funds
Location: Baywide
Benefit/Performance measures: Apply new technologies to track conditions and trends
in habitats throughout Tampa Bay
Results: New technologies may result in more accurate and detailed data on habitat
extent and quality to help set and assess targets.
Deliverables: Reports on the effectiveness of new technologies to track status and trends
in bay habitats and benthic communities
Activity 3. Evaluate the need and feasibility for additional monitoring for emerging
contaminants (such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, personal care products) and expanding
monitoring in rivers and tidal tributaries.
Responsible Parties: TBEP TAC (lead) to evaluate and prioritize additional monitoring
needs, and identify lead entities to implement additional monitoring.
Timeframe: Initiate evaluations by 2020
Cost and potential funding sources: $ for evaluation: Section 320 funds. $$-$$$ for
additional monitoring, if found to be needed. Potential funding sources for
additional monitoring include TBERF, SWFWMD, USGS, NOAA, EPA Wetland
Development Grant funds, EPA CWA (non-320) and Section 320 funds
Location: Baywide
Benefit/Performance measures: Need and feasibility of additional monitoring will be
assessed.
Results: New monitoring, if needed, may result in a better understanding of emerging
contaminants and the function and condition of tidal tributaries.
Deliverables: Report on the need and feasibility of additional monitoring