Florida offers payments, assistance for landowners to help with gopher tortoise conservation

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is getting landowners to help with gopher tortoise conservation efforts as part of the agency’s Gopher Tortoise Recipient Site Program.

Officials said the Gopher Tortoise Recipient Site Program provides landowners with an opportunity to generate additional revenue from their lands, as the landowner may charge a market-based fee for each tortoise received at the site.

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The program benefits landowners and tortoises and is compatible with other land uses, such as hunting and wetland mitigation.

The price landowners can charge per tortoise received at an approved site is not set by the FWC, so the landowner can adjust the fee based on their needs, officials said.

“Based on the current market for gopher tortoise recipient sites, landowners can generate more revenue from this program than ever before while contributing to the conservation of the species,” FWC said in a news release.

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Tortoises can benefit from the program by being moved out of harm’s way when relocated from development sites.

Officials said managing properties and habitat for the gopher tortoise has a conservation benefit for more than 350 other species that have been documented using gopher tortoise burrows. Many of these species are also state or federally listed.

“Landowners play a significant role in conserving gopher tortoise habitat throughout Florida,” said Alex Kalfin, program planning and monitoring administrator for the FWC’s Wildlife Diversity Conservation Section. “We are hoping we can get more property owners enrolled in this program, which is not only a critical component of gopher tortoise conservation in Florida but also provides substantial benefits for landowners.”

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FWC will assist property owners whose lands meet the criteria throughout the application.

The gopher tortoise is a protected species in all 67 Florida counties.

To learn more about gopher tortoises, the recipient program and how to apply, visit MyFWC.com/GopherTortoise.

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