The Institute for Regional Conservation

Founded in 1984, IRC promotes an innovative approach to conservation. We seek to protect - and restore - viable populations of all plant and animal species within a region by designing conservation strategies powered by rich, geographically-distributed data. Our approach adds critical value to traditional conservation strategies focused on charismatic animals or species with small global ranges. This work is especially important in regions of the world where rapid fragmentation of habitats has been experienced or is expected. For more than two decades we have focused our fieldwork in Florida and the Caribbean, but we are also engaged in a high-level dialog on ecological restoration and biodiversity targets more broadly around the world. We work in four domains: developing regional conservation models to advise and direct conservation strategies by diverse actors across broad regions; applied conservation science for researchers and land managers; ecological restoration and management; and, engaging with local communities to bring this work to fruition in the context of sustainability.

In Miami-Dade County, we are proud to run our Pine Rockland Initiative. This program is managed in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Miami-Dade County's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and other agencies. The goal of the program is to restore and manage pine rockland fragments on private lands. Specifically, management activities include baseline vegetation monitoring, invasive exotic plant removal, native hardwood removal, prescribed fire and long-term monitoring.