Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology
Gardening in a Minute is a program of the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology. The Center's mission is protecting and preserving Florida’s natural resources and quality of life through responsible landscape management.
Purpose
To protect and preserve Florida’s natural resources and quality of life through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Areas of concern include water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, landscape design practices, and sustainable resource use.
Vision
Through strategic partnerships, cutting edge research, and extensive education and outreach, the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology will help contribute to a sustainable Florida that can support us all long into the future.
Why It Matters
1,000 people move to Florida each day, adding to the more than seventeen million people who already live here. The state’s rapid population growth means that its natural resources are increasingly taxed, and the responsible management of water, wildlife habitat, and energy are more important than ever. The health, quality of life, and wallets of all Floridians also are at stake.
There are several reasons we should all be concerned for Florida’s future:
- Many areas of the state suffer regular water shortages.
- Poor water quality is an issue throughout the state and the problem is growing exponentially.
- Exotic pests (insects, diseases, plants, and animals) are significant threats to natural areas, home gardens, and commercial landscapes.
- Tourism is the state’s largest industry, and healthy and beautiful landscapes are a key part of visitors’ attraction to and enjoyment of Florida.
Many Floridians inadvertently contribute to these problems, because they don’t realize the impact their landscape management practices have on the environment. Florida’s Green Industry — which encompasses lawn-, landscape-, and grounds-related businesses — generates $10 billion a year. Florida-friendly landscape practices help ensure that all of us can continue to enjoy Florida’s natural beauty and wealth.
Objectives
The Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology was created by an act of the Florida legislature in response to the Green Industry’s concern for the long-term sustainability of current landscape management practices. The interdisciplinary center has faculty throughout the state advancing research, extension, and education efforts in multiple fields.
Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology faculty will conduct research programs and extension efforts that
- identify the effects of landscape design and management practices on biological diversity and ecosystem health
- document and establish standards for lowest levels of fertilizer and irrigation needed to establish and sustain healthy landscape plant materials
- identify practices for the management of residential landscapes based upon lessons learned from natural systems
- develop plant establishment principles that support habitat restoration in the urban-rural interface
- develop plant selection strategies to minimize environmental impacts and enhance environmental quality
- identify practices to design and manage landscapes with Low Impact Development strategies – from lot size to neighborhood size
- identify practices to design and manage low-impact landscapes—from lot size to neighborhood size
- identify plant selection and landscape design methodologies that minimize environmental impacts of pest management
- develop best management practices for lot, neighborhood, and watershed stormwater management
- document the impact of landscape management practices on water quality and quantity, including groundwater, bays, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds
