农业部拨款1000万美元保护佛罗里达州中部农地：目标永久保护约3500英亩
美国农业部（USDA）自然资源保护局（NRCS）佛罗里达州办公室2026年11月3日在 Gainesville 宣布，经区域保护伙伴计划（RCPP）向非营利组织 Wildlands Conservation 授出1,000万美元，用于其 Lake Wales Ridge 生态项目，扩大佛罗里达州中部私地地主的保护地役权机会并提供技术援助；项目重点覆盖 Marion、Lake、Polk 与 Highlands 四县，五年期项目定于2027年启动。
这笔联邦拨款将与县级与州级土地保护计划的类似金额配套，伙伴总投入将超过2,000万美元，目标是永久保护约3,500英亩土地，让地主在出售土地作开发之外多一个选择。NRCS 佛罗里达州负责人 Juan Hernandez 表示，该伙伴关系汇集了资金、专业与本地关系，帮助地主实现持久保护，在佛罗里达州发展最快的地区之一保住农业用地。Wildlands 执行主任 David Sumpter 表示，项目要守护该地区的农业传统，同时保护野生动物栖息地与水资源。
Lake Wales Ridge 是一片古老的沙丘系统，有柑橘园、牧场、森林、关键的地下水补给区与全球重要的野生动物栖息地；柑橘黄龙病与日益增加的开发压力同时威胁该地区的农业经济与自然土地。保护地役权是永久限制开发的自愿法律协议，土地仍归私人所有，地主可继续从事相容的农、牧、林等用途。
该项目由 Wildlands Conservation 牵头，伙伴包括 Polk 县的 Polk Forever 计划、佛罗里达州农业与消费者服务部（FDACS）的农村与家庭土地保护计划、美国鱼类与野生动物管理局、Archbold 研究站与 Putnam Land Conservancy；项目区与 Florida Wildlife Corridor 相连，约25%的区域位于 Avon Park 空军靶场哨兵景观区内，土地保护也有助于维持军事训练周边的相容土地利用。有意了解保护机会的地主可联系 Wildlands Conservation。
（来源：美国农业部）
USDA Awards $10 Million to Protect Central Florida Farmland: Goal to Permanently Protect About 3,500 Acres
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida announced in Gainesville on November 3, 2026, that it has awarded $10 million through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to Wildlands Conservation, Inc., for the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem project, to expand conservation easement opportunities and provide technical assistance to private landowners in Central Florida. The project area spans several Central Florida counties with a primary focus on Marion, Lake, Polk, and Highlands counties, and the five-year project is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The $10 million federal award will match a similar amount from county and state land protection programs, for over $20 million in combined funding and resources, aiming to permanently protect about 3,500 acres while providing landowners with alternatives to selling their land for development. Juan Hernandez, NRCS State Conservationist for Florida, said the partnership brings together the funding, expertise and local relationships needed to help landowners achieve lasting conservation and keep working lands in agriculture in one of the fastest developing regions of Florida. David Sumpter, Executive Director of Wildlands, said the goal is to sustain the region's agricultural heritage while protecting its wildlife habitat and water resources.
The Lake Wales Ridge is an ancient dune system that supports citrus groves, ranchlands, forests, critical water recharge areas, and globally significant wildlife habitat. Citrus greening and increasing development pressure threaten both the region's agricultural economy and its natural lands. Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit development while keeping land in private ownership; landowners can continue compatible farming, ranching, forestry, and other uses.
Led by Wildlands Conservation, the partnership includes Polk County through its Polk Forever program, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) through its Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Archbold Research Station, and Putnam Land Conservancy. The project area supports the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and an estimated 25 percent of it lies within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, where land protection helps preserve compatible uses around military training. Landowners interested in conservation opportunities may contact Wildlands Conservation.
(Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
来源：美国农业部
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：佛罗里达州一处柑橘园实景。CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A citrus grove in Florida. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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