Water-Related News

U.S. plan doubles the acres designated as critical habitat for manatees in Florida

The revised Florida map adds Silver Springs, Tampa Bay and Withlacoochee Bay.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced a plan to more than double the critical habitat designated for manatees in Florida to 1.9 million acres.

The proposed revisions also include a new designation of 78,121 acres in Puerto Rico for the Antillean manatee.

In Florida, the lands affected are 34% federal, 57% state, 7% local government and 2% private. Federal permits or funding within the habitat has to be reviewed by the Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent harm to the species.

Nikki Colangelo, a supervisor with the agency in Florida, said the maps benefit from decades of information gathering and data about manatees.

"We've learned a lot about the areas that they're really using and are most critical to their their survival and conservation," she said. The maps represent "the physical and biological features that are essential for their conservation."

The Florida map adds Silver Springs, Tampa Bay and Withlacoochee Bay.