Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Florida
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was established in 1979 as one of the first three combined units. The purpose of the Florida Unit is to provide for active cooperation in the advancement, organization, and conduct of scholarly research and training in the field of fish and wildlife sciences principally through graduate education and research at the University of Florida.

Between 1979 and 2008, over 297 projects totaling more than $42.8 million were funded through the Unit. These projects covered a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and ecosystem subjects and have involved 49 line, affiliate, and adjunct faculty members as principal and co-principal investigators. Unit staff have their own research projects which accounted for about 1/3 of the total effort. Projects associated with the Unit have resulted in 389 publications, 104 technical reports, 89 theses and dissertations, and 155 presentations. Cooperation has been the Florida Unit's strength. As a Cooperative Research Unit of the U.S. Geological Survey, it serves as a bridge among the principal cooperators, such as the University of Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the community of state and federal conservation agencies and non-governmental organizations. Evidence of this role is the Unit's funding which has included contributions from FFWCC, 12 BRD research labs and centers, 12 offices within the USFWS Southeast Region, the University of Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Air Force, U.S. National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, St. Johns River Water Management District, South Florida Water Management District, U.S. AID, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, BRD, Florida Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Florida Alligator Farmers' Association, American Alligator Farmers' Association, Florida Fur Trappers' Association, and other private contributions. Many Unit projects involve multiple investigators from several agencies. This cooperative interaction stimulates continuing involvement of funding sources, provides for student contacts with potential employers and agency perspectives, and directs transfer and application of research results.