Environment - Protecting our Natural Resources

Central Florida has long been treasured for its beautiful environment. White, sandy beaches, diverse ecosystems, and a wide variety of plants and animals make our community an exciting place to live and visit. However, decades of rapid growth and poor resource management are threatening Central Florida’s natural resources and financial future. To sustain environmental and economic prosperity, we must alter our region’s destiny by making collaborative decisions that encourage ecologic responsibility and foster environmental excellence.

Imagine a thriving region rich in indigenous plants and animals, diverse recreational opportunities within 20 minutes of every doorstep, and a new level of tourism based on outdoor adventure. It’s possible – thanks to Central Florida leaders. By establishing a collective vision for our natural landscape and the human communities inhabiting it, we’re building a cooperative regional conservation program to protect Central Florida’s environment and economy for generations to come.

Led by the University of Central Florida Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies – a forum for addressing key issues of concern in our community – myregion.org is collaborating with community leaders to encourage partnerships that foster environmental responsibility. Known as Naturally Central Florida, this seven-county coalition is working to safeguard Florida’s natural assets:

• Working to create a greater public knowledge, awareness and appreciation of Central Florida's valuable natural assets
• Distributing a position paper that addresses economic benefits along with key threats, opportunities, and land conservation values
• Creating a natural area network that attracts scientific researchers and students to study Florida’s unique resources
• Developing and implementing a land-acquisition strategy that increases the value of the region’s natural assets and links areas of regional and national significance
• Ensuring that living examples of all of Central Florida’s natural habitats exist to benefit future generations
• Enhancing landscapes and linkages with scenic, historic, recreational, and agricultural open-space buffers
• Protecting regional groundwater supplies, rivers, lakes and springs by maintaining critical wetland systems
• Preserving our valuable ocean and estuarine resources

By working together, we can create greater public knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of Central Florida’s valuable natural assets. In doing so, the region will prosper, along with all of us who call Central Florida home.