Wildlife Ecology and Conservation department

WILDLIFE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

The mission of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation is to foster education, expand knowledge, and reward scholarship, using multi-disciplinary approaches, for the purpose of understanding, managing, and conserving biological resources. The primary goal of our teaching, research, and extension programs is to develop and communicate the knowledge necessary for enhancing the conservation and management of wildlife and their habitats for the greatest aesthetic, ecological, economic, and recreational values.

WEC Blog

A fire burning on the ground among pine trees and grass.

Stay Informed About Wildfires

Florida is a fire-adapted landscape. That means fire is a natural and beneficial part of the ecosystem with many plants and animals evolved to rely on fire. It is not uncommon for natural areas managers to use controlled, planned wildland fire...READ MORE | RELATED INFORMATION

Bogged down by non-native plant guides

One of the Natural Area Training Academy’s (NATA’s) core courses, “Managing for Diversity Across Florida’s Unique Landscapes,” just concluded. We discussed non-native and invasive plants, which brought up several questions regarding...READ MORE | RELATED INFORMATION

Bat roosts in Florida are protected as of April 16th

Bats are an important part of our ecosystem in Florida, as the only major predator of night-flying insects. To ensure bats continue providing natural pest control, all bats in Florida are protected. Bat roosts are provided extra protection during...READ MORE | RELATED INFORMATION