Habitat loss ahead for Florida wildlife

Florida population is expected to double in the next 50 years, and that population growth could mean a loss of 7 million acres of wildlife habitat, a Lakeland Ledger article says.

Habitat loss isn't anything new, but now is as good a time as any to think about how to prevent habitat loss. It's a problem that is one of the main causes of wildlife species' downfall. Think of the Florida panther, gopher tortoise, Florida scrub jay and Florida black bear, to name a few.

This isn't just bad news for wildlife -- it also means more potentially dangerous human/animal encounters as wildlife move into urbanized areas to look for food and shelter, and it means fewer places for recreation, the article points out.

With mining legislation, economy could override ecology

Under Florida's swamps, forests and sugarcane fields lie crucial materials for the construction of roads, bridges, houses and shopping centers, and a fight has begun in the state Legislature over how -- and whether -- to dig them up - April 3, Sun-Sentinel

New consortium aims to promote better research to save state forests

Each day, Florida gains an average of 1,000 residents and loses more than 200 acres of forest -- but University of Florida experts say rapid urbanization doesn’t doom the state to a treeless existence - Nov. 30, University of Florida News

Florida panthers threatened as development takes over habitat

"The way we're building, we're going to push the panthers out" - Nov. 29, AP