Public use that is compatible with natural and cultural resource protection is a priority at the Buffer Preserve along with promoting and encouraging visitors to view the preserve as a unique wilderness area with a high degree of aesthetic and natural value that is worth protecting through active stewardship. The Buffer Preserve is managed under the single use concept of natural systems management.
Invasive non-native plant species in the Buffer Preserve are a continual management issue and at present are largely confined to the southern boundary of the preserve in residentially developed areas. The following species have been treated as part of the Buffer Preserve's invasive plant management program: camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica), Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum), torpedo grass (Panicum repens), and Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera).
Florida has lost more than 50 percent (9 million acres) of its natural wetlands in the past 200 years. Most of this loss may be attributed to wetland drainage and filling. The natural flow of water across a landscape of natural wetlands is critical to the quality of water finding its way into our rivers, bays, and oceans.
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