Fairchild Launches the Connect To Protect Network (CTPN)

Pine rocklands are a globally endangered ecosystem of South Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba. In Miami-Dade County, pine rocklands are recognized by the tall South Florida slash pine (Pinus elliotii var. densa) and the understory saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) growing on exposed limestone rock.

The Current State of Pine Rocklands in Miami-Dade County

Rapid urban and agricultural development, suppression of fires that historically maintained pineland, and invasions of non-native plant species have severely split apart this ecosystem.  Once covering much of the limestone uplands from North Miami Beach southwest through Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park, Miami-Dade County's pine rocklands have been reduced to <2% of their original extent outside the park. Currently what remains are small, isolated fragments scattered throughout the county.  

While many of these remnants are protected by Miami-Dade County's Park and Recreation Department and the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) program, some intact pine rockland remains on unprotected public and private land. 

The Connect to Protect Network 

To help preserve and strengthen our remaining pine rocklands and to increase wherever possible the numbers of pine rockland plants growing in Miami-Dade County, Fairchild  recently launched the Connect to Protect Network with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Our objective is to create corridors and "stepping stones" that connect isolated pine rockland remnants.  These corridors, such as rights-of-way along freeways or degraded or overgrown pine rockland parcels in agencies and institutions, will be planted with native pine rockland species.  This will increase the probability that bees, butterflies and birds can find and transport seeds and pollen across developed areas that separate the now fragmented pine rocklands.

Interchange of seeds and pollen improves gene flow, the genetic health of native plant species and thus the likelihood that these species will persist over the long term.  In addition, planting pine rockland species, especially rare, threatened or endangered ones, in itself increases the numbers of individual plants, providing additional protection against extinction.  Meeting this goal will require planting many native pine rockland species.  In preparation we have collected their seeds and are studying them in the laboratory to determine their germination, storage and cultivation requirements. 

To learn more, please follow the links below or at left under the Connect to Protect Network heading.

 Funding Source
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service