Ecosystem Restoration

The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP), which includes 10
counties and 27 cities in Central and Southwest Florida, as well as state and federal
governmental agencies, work on a variety of ecosystem restoration projects.

Click on the tabs below to review different areas of focus for large-scale regional restoration initiatives.

Even before the BP Oil Spill in 2010, the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) had been working to restore the water quality and fisheries in the Gulf along the Southwest Florida coast from Venice to Bonita Springs. Once the Spill occurred, we immediately convened partners and got to work to gather and submit restoration projects for federal funding.

Our staff served on the Lee and Charlotte RESTORE Act committees. We also updated the FDEP state database of RESTORE projects for our region - contacting over 100 stakeholders in the region to update information on more than 65 projects, as well as delete 18 projects that stakeholders indicated were complete or no longer viable. Keeping a current accurate inventory of projects ensures we are well-positioned when more funding does become available in our area.

Whether its assisting with the restoration funding process or implementing restoration projects, the CHNEP remains actively engaged in Gulf restoration. To read more about how the CHNEP is helping, click here.

The CHNEP area includes the Western Everglades. As such, CHNEP sits on the Science Coordination Group to the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force - the interagency body that oversees Everglades Restoration. This is the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world, bringing back flow to our corals, fisheries, and wading birds as well as drinking supply water to one in three Floridians!

Recently, the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area was established. CHNEP contributed to development of the plan that supports this Conservation Area, as it meets objectives of our Habitat Restoration Needs Plan. To learn more about this initiative, click on the Ev2Gulf tab.

Established March 2024, the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area allows willing landowners of important wildlife habitat and water resource areas to sell easements or their land outright for permanent protection. The program has the potential to bring millions if not billions of added dollars to Florida for conservation, and because it is strictly voluntary, it also provides farmers and ranchers more choices and resources to be able to maintain their working lands.

CHNEP provided our Habitat Restoration Needs Plan and related GIS information to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Area Boundary mapping.

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For more information: