Alternative Text Description for FNAI Potential Element Occurrence

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays potential occurrences of endangered and rare species, plants, animals, and high-quality natural communities across the state of Florida according to the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI). The map shows areas where these elements are potentially located, representing locations that sustain or contribute to the survival of rare populations or distinct natural communities. The data subset filters occurrence records to show only those classified as "POTENTIAL," indicating areas where endangered or rare elements may be present based on available evidence.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, extending from the panhandle region in the northwest near Dothan and Albany to the southern tip near Miami and the Florida Keys. Major cities labeled on the map include Jacksonville on the northeast coast, Gainesville in north-central Florida, Orlando in central Florida, Tampa on the west-central coast, Palm Coast on the northeast coast, Cape Coral on the southwest coast, and Miami in the southeast. The map shows Florida's distinctive peninsula shape with the Gulf of America on the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The northern boundary shows portions of neighboring states including Georgia and Alabama.

KEY INSIGHTS

The southeastern coastal region near Miami and extending northward shows an extensive concentration of endangered species occurrences, represented by a large red area that dominates the lower east coast. This represents the most significant clustering of endangered elements visible on the map. Throughout the rest of the state, threatened due to similarity of appearance species and species of concern are widely distributed with notable concentrations along the Gulf of America coastline in the panhandle, around Tampa Bay, throughout the interior peninsula, and in the central regions. Pink threatened species occurrences appear scattered along both coastal areas, with clusters visible in the panhandle, around Tampa, and in southern coastal regions. Yellow-colored categories including proposed endangered, proposed state listings, proposed threatened, threatened delisted, and threatened proposed for delisting appear sporadically throughout the state with no dominant geographic pattern.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

FNAI Potential Element Occurrence Layer

This layer represents potential occurrences of element occurrences from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory database, showing endangered or rare plants and animals, high-quality natural communities, and other natural resource features of interest.

Endangered (bright red)

Appearance: Solid bright red polygon fill with no outline, representing the highest conservation priority status.

Distribution: The most extensive concentration appears in southeastern Florida, particularly around Miami and the lower east coast, where a large contiguous red area dominates. Additional smaller red clusters appear near Cape Coral on the southwest coast, with scattered smaller patches along the lower Florida Keys.

Notable locations: The Miami metropolitan area and southeastern coastal region contains the largest single concentration of endangered element occurrences on the map. A secondary concentration exists around Cape Coral and Fort Myers on the southwest coast.

Spatial patterns: Endangered occurrences show strong clustering in coastal southeastern Florida, forming a continuous habitat area. The distribution suggests coastal and wetland ecosystems in these areas support significant endangered populations. The pattern indicates concentrated conservation concern areas rather than dispersed occurrences.

Threatened (light pink)

Appearance: Light pink polygon fill with no outline, representing species or communities with threatened conservation status.

Distribution: Scattered occurrences appear along both the Gulf of America coastline and Atlantic coastline, with concentrations in the western panhandle, around Tampa Bay, in the central peninsula near Lake Okeechobee, and along southern coastal areas.

Notable locations: Notable clusters appear in the western panhandle region, multiple locations around the Tampa Bay area, and several locations along the southern Gulf coast and lower Florida Keys.

Spatial patterns: Threatened occurrences are more dispersed than endangered occurrences, appearing as isolated patches rather than large contiguous areas. The distribution shows a coastal tendency but with significant inland occurrences as well.

Not Currently Listed (light gray)

Appearance: Light gray polygon fill with no outline.

Distribution: Very limited representation on the map with only a few small scattered occurrences visible throughout the state.

Notable locations: Difficult to identify specific concentrations due to sparse representation.

Spatial patterns: No clear spatial pattern is apparent for this category.

Threatened due to Similarity of Appearance (dark reddish-brown)

Appearance: Dark reddish-brown circular points appearing as round dots throughout the map.

Distribution: Widely distributed throughout Florida with dense coverage across the entire peninsula and panhandle regions. Thousands of individual occurrences appear as a near-continuous scatter of points.

Notable locations: High densities appear throughout the interior peninsula, along both coastlines, in the panhandle region, and extending into southern Florida. The coverage is relatively uniform across most of the state.

Spatial patterns: This category shows the most extensive spatial distribution of all categories, forming a dense scatter pattern that covers most terrestrial areas of Florida. The distribution suggests widespread species or communities that are present in numerous locations statewide.

Species of Concern (medium brown)

Appearance: Medium brown circular points appearing as larger round dots compared to threatened due to similarity of appearance occurrences.

Distribution: Widely scattered throughout Florida with notable concentrations along the Gulf of America coast in the panhandle, around Tampa Bay, throughout the central peninsula, and in various inland locations.

Notable locations: Significant clusters appear in the panhandle region, multiple large concentrations exist around Tampa Bay and the west-central coast, and notable occurrences appear throughout the interior peninsula and near Orlando.

Spatial patterns: Species of concern show clustering tendencies with groups of occurrences forming larger patches in certain regions, particularly along coastal areas and in the central peninsula. The pattern suggests habitat-specific distributions with regional variations.

Non-essential Experimental Population (rust-orange)

Appearance: Rust-orange circular points.

Distribution: Very limited representation with only a few scattered occurrences visible on the map.

Notable locations: Sparse occurrences make specific locations difficult to identify clearly.

Spatial patterns: No clear spatial pattern is apparent due to minimal representation.

Delisted (orange)

Appearance: Orange circular points.

Distribution: Very limited representation with only a few scattered occurrences visible.

Notable locations: Sparse occurrences make specific locations difficult to identify clearly.

Spatial patterns: No clear spatial pattern is apparent due to minimal representation.

Proposed Endangered (bright yellow with orange tint)

Appearance: Bright yellow circular points with orange tint.

Distribution: Scattered occurrences appearing in various locations throughout the state, more visible than some other minority categories but still limited in number.

Notable locations: Scattered points appear in the panhandle, central peninsula near Orlando, around Tampa, and in southern Florida.

Spatial patterns: Dispersed pattern with no clear geographic concentration, suggesting diverse habitat types or species across different regions.

Proposed (State listing) (bright yellow)

Appearance: Bright yellow circular points.

Distribution: Limited scattered occurrences throughout various regions of Florida.

Notable locations: Visible in multiple areas including the panhandle, central regions, and southern portions of the state.

Spatial patterns: No dominant geographic pattern; appears as isolated occurrences in diverse locations.

Proposed Threatened (yellow-green)

Appearance: Yellow-green circular points.

Distribution: Very limited representation with sparse occurrences scattered across the state.

Notable locations: Difficult to identify specific concentrations due to sparse distribution.

Spatial patterns: No clear spatial pattern is apparent.

Threatened delisted (bright lime yellow)

Appearance: Bright lime yellow circular points.

Distribution: Very limited representation with only a few occurrences visible.

Notable locations: Sparse occurrences make specific locations difficult to identify clearly.

Spatial patterns: No clear spatial pattern is apparent due to minimal representation.

Threatened, Proposed for delisting (pale yellow)

Appearance: Pale yellow circular points.

Distribution: Very limited representation with sparse occurrences.

Notable locations: Difficult to identify specific locations due to minimal presence.

Spatial patterns: No clear spatial pattern is apparent.

Under Review (bright orange)

Appearance: Bright orange circular points.

Distribution: Scattered occurrences visible in various parts of the state, though relatively limited in number.

Notable locations: Visible points appear in the eastern peninsula, southern regions, and scattered locations throughout the state.

Spatial patterns: Dispersed pattern with no clear geographic concentration.

Overlapping Patterns

Throughout much of Florida, multiple conservation status categories overlap spatially. The interior and coastal regions show dense overlapping of threatened due to similarity of appearance points with species of concern occurrences, creating areas with multiple conservation priorities. In southeastern Florida near Miami, the large endangered polygon area overlaps with numerous other category points, indicating a region of particularly high biodiversity conservation concern. The panhandle and Tampa Bay regions similarly show multiple overlapping categories, suggesting ecologically significant areas with diverse rare and endangered elements.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents potential element occurrences, meaning these are areas where endangered or rare elements may be present based on available evidence but have not been definitively confirmed as likely occurrences. The definition query filters the data to show only records classified as "POTENTIAL," which represents a specific subset of the complete Florida Natural Areas Inventory database. Element occurrences may include not only individual species but also high-quality natural communities, bird rookeries, springs, sinkholes, caves, and other ecological features of conservation interest. Some occurrence representations may include additional area to account for uncertainty in the actual location of observations, particularly for historical museum records. The shapes shown should be interpreted as potential habitat areas that sustain or contribute to the survival of populations rather than precise point locations. Users should consult additional supporting documentation from FNAI for proper interpretation of element occurrence shapes and boundaries. The overlapping of multiple conservation categories in many areas indicates regions with complex biodiversity conservation needs and multiple rare or endangered elements sharing habitat.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source: Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) database. This database contains locational records of endangered or rare plants and animals, high-quality natural communities, and other natural resource features of interest. Element occurrences represent single extant habitats that sustain or contribute to the survival of a population or distinct self-sustaining examples of natural communities. Data source layer name: FLEO_POLY_DEC24.

Definition Query: This map displays a filtered subset of the complete element occurrence dataset. The definition query filters records where OCCURRENCE = 'POTENTIAL', showing only those element occurrences where the presence of rare or endangered species or communities is considered possible based on available evidence but not confirmed as likely.

Scale Information: The map displays statewide coverage at a scale appropriate for viewing the entire state of Florida and identifying general patterns of element occurrence distribution. This scale level shows regional concentrations and statewide patterns but is not intended for site-specific conservation planning or precise location identification.

Coordinate System: NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087).

Time Period of Content: The data source layer name indicates the data is current as of December 2024 (FLEO_POLY_DEC24).

Limitations: This dataset represents potential occurrences only, meaning these are areas where elements may be present but have not been confirmed as likely occurrences. Element occurrence boundaries may include additional area to account for locational uncertainty, particularly for historical records. The shapes do not represent precise boundaries of populations or communities but rather potential habitat areas. Users should consult FNAI's supporting documentation for proper interpretation guidelines. This filtered view shows only potential occurrences and does not include likely, confirmed, or other occurrence probability classifications that exist in the complete database. The map does not show all areas of biodiversity concern in Florida, only those with documented element occurrence records classified as potential.

Map Coverage: The map covers the entire state of Florida from the western panhandle border with Alabama through the peninsula to the southern tip and Florida Keys. Small portions of neighboring states (Georgia, Alabama) appear in the northern border area for geographic context. Both the Gulf of America coastline on the west and south and the Atlantic Ocean coastline on the east are shown as map boundaries.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.