Florida Wildlife Conservation: The Human Impact

When the term “wildlife conservation” is said or read, people’s minds typically go to animals and efforts that are being done to help species that may need it. It may not be very often that people’s minds go to other humans, and how they are impacted by developmental plans.  

Orlando, Florida, is the most visited destination in the United States, according to a 2014 study done by the Earth Observatory, a branch of NASA. The high number of visitors to Orlando can likely be attributed to the creation and development of theme parks in the area such as Walt Disney World and Sea World. There are nine total theme parks in the city of Orlando, giving visitors a multitude of options of things to do while visiting.  

Increased visitation to Orlando has not only boosted the city’s status and revenue, but also its population. From 2021 to 2022 alone, there was a 2.01% increase in Orlando’s population, according to a Neilsberg Research study. A report released by a variety of state and national park and forest service's cites that an increase in population is associated with increased levels of recreation use.  

To combat these population spikes, the Florida Department of Transportation and city commissioners have developed plans for new highways to connect existing highways in hopes of alleviating traffic for current and new residents.  

While some residents, such as Adaniel Zoga, are looking forward to traffic relief, other Orlando residents, such as John Arnold, are not as happy about the developments.  

Zoga is a realtor local to Orlando who is looking forward to shaving off a few minutes of commute time each day.  

State Road 516, a 4.4-mile-long highway project that recently broke ground, is an expressway that is planned to connect “gaps” between Lake and Orange counties. These “gaps” that are being bridged happen to go through John Arnold’s land.  

Access roads that are being proposed by the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) go through wetlands that are part of Arnold’s property, on which he owns and operates Showcase of Citrus. The citrus farm offers attractions such as monster truck tours, U-pick opportunities and gem mining.  

“We cannot afford to have a road going across a wetland that is basically part of our showcase,” Arnold said.  

photo courtesy of the CFX media kit

While he supports the construction of State Road 516 to support the increasing number of visitors to Orlando, Arnold is concerned that CFX is going to fill his wetlands to provide a spot for housing developments to be built.  

State Road 516 is planned to be completed in 2027 and includes features such as electric in-vehicle charging, making it a pioneer for test “bed” for this type of roadway.  

Concerns about wildlife safety have also come up with plans to develop highways in the Orlando area, as the proposed areas for highways to go through are largely natural areas home to many animals.  

State Road 516 is planned to feature wildlife tunnels under US 27, located near Lake Louisa State Park. This is something that will hopefully protect animals in the area and drivers, according to Nick Lulli, the Public Information Officer with CFX. The wildlife tunnels have been included in plans to accommodate the Florida Wildlife Corridor.  

“You’ll have a mile or more of fencing that are keeping wildlife from crossing the road at a place where it’s not safe and diverting them to the actual crossing that is under, or in some cases over, the roadway,” said Jason Lauritsen, the Chief Conservation Officer of Florida Wildlife Conservation Foundation.  

The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a statewide network of nearly 18 million acres of Florida land that is “crucial to the survival” of many Florida wildlife species. The Corridor requested that State Route 516 include wildlife tunnels because the road is planned to cut through ecologically sensitive areas. By including tunnels, wildlife can more safely navigate the area and avoid risky encounters with vehicles.  

Lauritsen believes that if other roadways in the state follow suit with wildlife tunnels for major roadways, it could make a difference for the corridor.  

Just under 50 miles to the East of where State Road 516 is being built, additional concerns about highway construction are being tackled in an area called Split Oak Forest. On the land of Split Oak Forest sits Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, an organization that aims to “rescue, raise, rehabilitate and release injured or orphaned Florida Natives species,” according to their website mission statement.  

Hannah Sigler, a past volunteer at Back to Nature, said that about two years ago, officials in the area proposed a plan to put a highway through Split Oak Forest.  

“It would completely destroy the ecosystem in the forest and cause tons of habitat loss,” she said, adding that many animals that came to the refuge needing help were because of habitat loss or destruction.  

Sigler volunteered at Back to Nature from the beginning of 2022 to the summer of 2023 and said she mostly worked on tasks such as enclosure cleaning, Emu feedings and petting foxes. Sigler said the staff worked hard to make sure every animal that came to the refuge survived, and made sure that animals were comfortable at the end if they did not survive.  

Many animals came to the refuge from things related to nature, but Sigler said she had seen more animals come into the refuge from human-related dangers since development has grown in the area.  

The city of Orlando released a Growth Management Plan in October of 2022 that outlines the projected growth for 2022-2050, as well as infrastructure plans to aid in this population growth.  

The plan mentions vacant land, analyzed by Geographic Information Systems, that will likely be the locations for future development.  

Orlando officials have not responded to requests for comments on how wildlife conservation efforts will fit into this plan for development.