Endangered Species Coalition 2015 Top 10 Report Nominating Form
General Information
1
2
3
4
5
6
Nominating Organizations: Please use this Column to Provide the Requested Information
Organization & Web address
Contact name for species info
Address
Email & phone
Communications staff contact name
Email & phone
Defenders of Wildlife www.defenders.org
Elizabeth Fleming
3637 Fourth Street North, Suite 230, St. Petersburg, Florida 33704
efleming@defenders.org 727/823-3888/cell: 727/410-0455
Haley McKey
hmckey@defenders.org 202/772-0247
General Species Information
7
8
Common name, genus, and species
Geographic range
9
10
Conservation status
Remaining population size
Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi)
Single breeding population south of the Caloosahatchee River in south Florida; a few
males have dispersed north of the river; one male traveled to the Georgia/Alabama
border in 2008
Federally endangered; listed in 1967
The Florida panther is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. The
population range estimated at 100 to 180 adults and subadults.
Report Questions
11
12
13
Do you have high-resolution photos that can
be used in the report?
Will you want printed reports? If so, how
many?
If your species is selected, will you use the
report as a tool to organize around the
species and/or publicize its plight?
Yes, and we can help secure permission of the photographers
Yes, 50.
Absolutely.
Public Engagement Questions (Please explain why the species is interesting, why it matters, why decision-makers + the public should care.)0
14
Interesting facts about the species
The Florida panther is the last subspecies of Puma still surviving in the eastern U.S. It is
restricted to less than five percent of its historical range that spanned eight states in
the Southeast. While no one knows how many panthers once roamed the
southeastern states, one estimate suggests 1,360 in Florida alone. Persecution,
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
hunting, land clearing and other activities undertaken by early settlers caused panther
numbers to plummet. Misconceptions and fear led to widespread persecution -Florida authorized a $5 bounty for panther scalps in 1887 -- and panthers were nearly
eliminated by the turn of the century. Florida ended the bounty in 1950.
When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) became law in 1973, the Florida panther
population was estimated at 12 to 20 individuals. Though still endangered, great
strides have been made to halt the panther’s downward spiral towards extinction. In
1981, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued the first Florida Panther Recovery
Plan to prevent the species’ extinction and to re-establish viable populations of the
Florida panther in its former range. This led to several years of progress in which the
Florida legislature approved new programs to help fund panther conservation and
research. The 1980s also saw speed limits reduced to 45 mph at night on key roads to
protect panthers from being hit by speeding vehicles, and in the 1990s, the Florida
Department of Transportation included wildlife underpasses and fencing along more
than 40 miles of roadway. Since then, additional slow-speed zones have been
designated, more crossings have been installed, and others are planned to protect
panthers on dangerous roads.
ESA listing also prompted federal and state agencies to purchase additional land to
give panthers more room to roam. Today, Florida panthers can travel across several
protected regions including Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand State
Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest,
Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed,
and the Spirit of the Wild and Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Areas. In 2012
a critical piece of undeveloped land along the Caloosahatchee River where panthers
have crossed to expand their range northward was protected.
With such a small population to begin with and serious problems arising due to
inbreeding, the IUCN Captive Breeding Specialist Group predicted that without some
kind of intervention, the Florida panther population would reach extinction. FWS and
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
15
16
Additional background information to
complete the species profile in the report
What are the most important messages that
should be communicated about this species'
decline? Please be sure to indicate your
organization’s lead message that you would
like to be included in the report.
17
Is your NGO working to save the species? If
yes, how? (Optional)
18
How can individuals help? Please be as
specific as possible.
19
Is there anything else that governments or
others could/should/are doing to save the
species?
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) made the bold decision to
introduce eight female pumas from Texas — animals that Florida panthers used to
breed with before they became isolated in south Florida — temporarily into the Florida
panther population in 1995. A recent University of Florida study concluded that
without this genetic infusion, the Florida panther numbers would most likely have
fallen below 10 by 2010. Instead, thanks to a genetic restoration program that would
not have been possible without the authority of the ESA, a much larger, healthier
panther population exists today.
Schoolchildren chose the panther as Florida’s state animal in 1982. In 1995 Florida’s
legislature designated the third Saturday in March as Save the Florida Panther Day.
We must conserve large tracts of interconnected habitat now while we have the
opportunity before it is lost forever. With nearly 20 million residents, Florida recently
surpassed New York as the third most populous state in the country. The economy has
picked up again and development and road building are accelerating. Florida is also a
top travel destination, hosting 93.7 million visitors in 2013. Many visitors return to live
in Florida, encouraging the building of more homes and highways. All this places
Florida in the unique position of having both tremendous wildlife diversity, mounting
pressure from development, and a high number of endangered species.
The Florida panther is a priority species and recovery is a long term commitment for
Defenders – we are working to secure and protect large, interconnected tracts of wild
land, to facilitate natural range expansion, to establish new populations, to foster
understanding and tolerance and to reduce vehicle collisions.
Advocate for increased funding for land acquisition and management, support more
funding for natural resource agencies, defend the Endangered Species Act, advocate
for funding for wildlife crossings, remain alert and watch out for wildlife while driving,
get involved in land use and transportation planning, make informed choices when
moving to a new area.
Expanding acreage of protected habitat through land acquisition and conservation
easements, such as reinvigorating the Greater Everglades Partnership Initiative to
establish and expand national wildlife refuges in south and south-central Florida;
allocating meaningful funding to incentive programs for landowners who manage their
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
land in ways that benefit panthers (e.g. payments for ecosystem services programs)
Criteria-specific Questions – Please feel free to answer N/A or “see above/below” as appropriate. Please cite any substantiating scientific studies.
20
Describe the specific threat(s) to the species.
21
Why is it in need of greater connectivity?
22
Is its geographic range shifting?
23
24
Is there concern around the cyclical/seasonal
life of the species and its interactions within
ecosystems?
Does it have isolated populations?
25
Is it at risk of low genetic diversity?
26
How urgent is the need for greater
connectivity in order to conserve this
species? Does it face a current, imminent, or
future threat?
The greatest threats to panther survival are habitat destruction, degradation and
fragmentation. Shrinking habitat pits panthers against one another in deadly territorial
battles. A major impediment to panther recovery is lack of human tolerance for living
with a large predator, which can lead to killing panthers, spread of misinformation and
political action that could thwart range expansion and reestablishment. The greatest
human cause of mortality is collisions with vehicles; a record 25 panthers were killed in
2014 in their search for territory, food and mates. Roads and traffic make it difficult for
panthers to expand their range.
Panthers are solitary, secretive wide-ranging habitat generalists. Male home ranges
average 200 square miles; female home ranges average 75 square miles
The geographic range has been greatly reduced from its original size. Now five percent
of its historical range.
N/A
The Florida panther population has become isolated from all other Pumas. It used to
breed with other subspecies on the edge of its historical range.
Yes, see Interesting Facts about the Species. Biologists continue to monitor the genetic
health of the Florida panther.
Public lands in south Florida are not extensive enough to support the panther
population, which is thought to be at carrying capacity within the available habitat
south of the river. They need a contiguous system of public and private lands. A
population increase depends on the ability to move northward into central and north
Florida and beyond, and the willingness of private landowners to share the landscape.
The growing panther population, coupled with continuing growth of the human
population, is leading to conflicts that could undermine panther recovery. Habitat
destruction for residential and commercial development, agricultural conversion,
mining, road building and other land uses are accelerating, human population growth
is encroaching into undeveloped areas, misinformation about panthers is spreading
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
27
and political interference could set back recent gains.
Some want ESA protection reduced or even removed for panthers since other Puma
subspecies range from Canada to Argentina; some oppose acquisition of additional
public conservation land, in fact, the conservation community has had to fend off
attempts to dispose of public acreage used by panthers; we are witnessing an increase
in fear mongering and anti-panther messages from some hunters, sportsmen,
landowners and elected officials; and the FWC appears poised to back away from
range expansion efforts to narrow its work to resolve south Florida conflicts. Panther
attacks on pets and small livestock have increased exponentially in the last few years.
Reports of panther attacks on calves in commercial livestock operations have also
escalated. Several panthers have been killed on public lands and in rural areas in
recent years. Some hunters see panthers as competition for deer and believe panthers
have greatly reduced panther prey populations.
Indicate if there is an associated political
threat. For instance, is this species being
actively attacked by an industry group or
member of Congress?
Judge’s Score for Severity and Extent of Threat:
3
28
Detail information on any social or economic
benefits the species provides—e.g., its value
for recreation or as a subject of scientific
research. (Optional)
29
Detail the ecological importance of the
species (e.g., is it a keystone species?).
30
Describe how the species could be
considered an "ambassador" or “flagship”
species to enlist public support for
conservation.
0
A new National Park Service report shows that nearly 1. 2M visitors to Big Cypress
National Preserve in 2014 spent over $91M in communities near the park. That
spending supported 1,323 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit of nearly
$130M. Many people recreate in panther country, hoping for a glimpse of a cat, and
looking for tracks and other sign that indicate that a panther may be nearby.
The panther is an umbrella species. Saving panthers and the large, wild spaces they
need protects many different plants (e.g. listed, at risk, common) that share their
habitat; panthers are top predators that help keep deer and other prey populations in
check and can benefit the ecosystem from top to bottom; preserving enough
undeveloped land for panthers assures the quality of the soil, water and air on which
all species, including people, depend -- the groundwater so vital to Florida ecosystems
and people is recharged in the large tracts where panthers live; they use agricultural
areas near wild lands, so protecting panthers can protect working landscapes.
Panthers are a symbol of the vanishing wilderness of the southeastern U.S.
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
Judge’s Score for Importance of Species
Judge’s Final Score
References
Cullinane Thomas, C., C. Huber, and L. Koontz. 2015. 2014 National Park visitor spending effects: Economic contributions to local
communities, states, and the Nation. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR—2015/947. National Park Service, Fort Collins,
Colorado. http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/VSE2014_Final.pdf
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission panther range estimate revision (June 2014): http://myfwc.com/news/newsreleases/2014/june/19/panther-report/
Hostetler, Jeffrey A., David P. Onorato, Deborah Jansen and Madan K. Oli. A cat’s tale: the impact of genetic restoration on
Florida panther population dynamics and persistence. Journal of Animal Ecology 2012 doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12033.
http://www.wec.ufl.edu/news/HOSTETLER%20ET%20AL%202012%20PANTHER%20PVA.pdf
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Florida Panther Recovery Plan (Puma concolor coryi), Third Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Atlanta, Georgia. 217pp. http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MammalsPDFs/FinalizedFloridaPantherRecoveryPlan081218.pdf
U. S. Seal, R. C. Lacy, Eds., A Plan for Genetic Restoration and Management of the Florida Panther (Felis concolor coryi) (Report to the
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN, 1994).
Please submit to top10@endangered.org, and thank you for participating in the 2015 Top 10 Report.
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies