Florida & Caribbean Fire and Invasives Learning Network

Florida & Caribbean Fire & Invasives Fire Learning Network

Why a Fire & Invasives Learning Network?

Tropical islands are host to some of the richest biodiversity in the world.  They are also home to some of the most vulnerable landscapes.  Increasing the capacity of land managers to foresee, prevent and control threats to their conservation lands before the habitat is compromised is the only recognized method to efficiently and successfully ensure healthy landscapes.  

Although fire and invasive plant management are typically seen as two separate land management needs, the increase of invasive grasses and other invaders that promote or are promoted by fire, has forced practitioners on both sides to learn the others’ tools, although often too late to abate the threat efficiently or effectively.  

Advancing the needs and tools of both the fire and invasives communities requires a proactive approach that explores the connections between fire and invasives across the greater landscape, while building the capacity of practitioners on the ground.  A regional learning network addressing these dynamics is an ideal format to identify priorities, develop and disseminate information and tools, and build the overall capacity of the region to effectively mitigate the threats of invasive species and fire.

Florida & Caribbean Network Partners

Bahamas

Jamaica

Puerto Rico

Dominican Republic

St. Lucia

Trinidad & Tobago

Pine Rocklands Working Group

Lake Wales Ridge Working Group

Goals of the Network

The Florida-Caribbean Fire & Invasives Learning Network seeks to collaborate with practitioners across the region in order to:

•   Build a peer-to-peer network of practitioners and experts that can share information and experiences, build capacity and develop appropriate tools and methodologies to address fire and invasive threats.
•   Assess the state of knowledge about the interactions of fire and invasive plants, including: fire management practices related to control and susceptibility; influence of invasive species on fire regimes; influence of fire on invasive species; and influence of land use and land management practices on invasive species and fire;
•   Identify and prioritize management information needs and related research needs;
•   Identify critical barriers to the prevention of invasion and successful implementation of restoration projects and fire, and develop strategies to overcome these barriers;
•   Develop integrated fire and invasives management plans that appropriately coordinate the management of fire and the control of invasive species;