ABSTRACT

Scrub ecosystems are rapidly declining throughout its historic range in coastal Brevard County, Florida. Bergan (1994) found an estimated 68.8% loss in Atlantic Coastal Ridge scrub habitat from 1943 to 1991 in North Brevard County.[1] Brevard County scrub habitats are regionally significant in that they support some of the largest Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) populations remaining in the State of Florida, as well as other species of conservation concern.

In a grassroots effort to protect the ecosystems, natural communities and species that contribute to Brevard County’s rich biological diversity, the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program was established by Brevard County voters in a 1990 referendum.

The Vision of the EEL Program is to acquire, protect, and maintain environmentally endangered lands guided by scientific principles for conservation and the best available practices for resources stewardship and ecosystem management. The EEL Program established the Brevard County Coastal Scrub Ecosystem Initiative (CSEI), one of three regional conservation projects designed and implemented by the EEL Program, to protect and manage scrub at a landscape scale. This presentation focuses on the acquisition and management strategies implemented by the EEL Program to protect and enhance the habitat quality of Brevard County’s important scrub ecosystems.

INTRODUCTION

The steep declines in both scrub habitat and Florida Scrub-Jay populations can be directly correlated to the expansive growth of Brevard County’s human population during the past 60 years (Figure 1).[2]

Brevard County experienced an estimated 2,786% increase in population between 1940 and 1999.[2] An estimated 70% reduction in scrub habitat and 87% decline in Florida Scrub-Jays occurred on the Brevard County mainland during the same time period (Table 1).[2] The primary cause of scrub habitat loss in Brevard County is the conversion of this high, dry land into agricultural, commercial and residential land uses.[3,4,5] The remaining scrub parcels are highly fragmented and generally provide poor quality habitat to dependent species due to long-term fire suppression.[6,7]

These trends, which are mirrored Statewide, threaten Florida’s only endemic bird, the Florida Scrub-Jay, with extinction.[5,8] Recognizing the importance of scrub, Brevard County citizens initiated a local strategic planning effort to protect the remaining fragments of this globally rare[9] ecosystem.