A GIS-based decision-support tool to evaluate land management policies in south Florida

The primary objective of the project is to develop an integrated ecological and socioeconomic land use evaluation model (the Ecosystem Portfolio Model, EPM) for Department of the Interior (DOI) resource managers to use to reconcile the need to maintain the ecological health of South Florida parks and refuges with increasing pressures for higher density development in the agricultural lands outside of the Urban Development Boundary in Miami-Dade County. The EPM has three major components: (1) an ecological value model based on ecological criteria relevant to National Park Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service resource management and species protection mandates; (2) a real estate market-based land value model sensitive to relevant land use/cover attributes indicative of conservation and development decisions; and (3) a set of socioeconomic indicators sensitive to land use/cover changes relevant to regional environmental and ecological planning. The current version is implemented for Miami-Dade County, with the protection of ecological values in the lands between the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks as the focus. The first two components have been implemented in the GIS web-enabled prototype interface and the third component is being developed in draft form in FY08 in consultation with the Florida Atlantic University Dept of Urban and Regional Planning.

South Florida’s national parks and wildlife refuges are threatened by accelerated growth of the surrounding built environment which alters the natural hydrology and ecology, and introduces harmful levels of sediment, nutrients and toxins. Department of the Interior (DOI) scientists and land managers are faced with major informational and financial challenges and conflicting stakeholder interests in their efforts to manage and protect resources to fulfill their stewardship responsibilities. The web-based EPM will contribute to improved public understanding and awareness of the importance of protecting South Florida habitats and ecosystem functions, as well as the possible externalities associated with upcoming land use decisions.