Wildlife indicators of Greater Everglades restoration progress, climate change, and shifts in ecosystem services

Greater Everglades restoration partners will want to learn from restoration of Picayune Strand as the first of its kind. One of the major benefits of Picayune Strand restoration will be to provide overland water flow to Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (TTINWR); however, it is unknown whether the timing and duration of water flow will be for the benefit of wildlife species of interest and concern. Understanding how wildlife responds to flow patterns post-restoration will be of great value to scientists, land managers, and other decision makers.

Results of this study will provide information about the usage of southwest Florida’s interior marshes by bird communities. Results will also allow natural resource managers to examine potential effects of restoration and climate change on wildlife under their stewardship in the context of ecosystem and landscape management planning.