by SC Features Writer Reanna Haase
More than fifty years ago, scientists compiled research on Sanibel’s natural systems into a single document: The Sanibel Report. Now, the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation is preparing The Sanibel Report 2.0 as the city updates the Sanibel Plan.
The updated report compiles scientific research gathered over the past 50 years. SCCF is leading the effort in partnership with experts from Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School, the Naples Botanical Garden and the University of Florida. Its goal is to provide current science to help inform the city’s planning decisions.
“The Sanibel Plan was the first comprehensive land use plan that did its planning based on protection of the island’s natural resources. There had been no other community that had planned the way the city of Sanibel did,” said James Evans, SCCF CEO. “It’s essential that we continue to take into consideration the unique ecosystems on the island and natural resources because they are the basis for our economy here on Sanibel.”
The original 300-page report was published in 1975. SCCF commissioned the Conservation Foundation in Washington, D.C., to create it. Its findings helped shape the Sanibel Plan, which was published in 1976, and effectively anchored preservation as a core priority for the city.
The new 150-200 page report will consist of 4 chapters: Mangroves, Nearshore/Estuarine, Beaches and Wildlife, and Interior Wetlands. This report differs from the original because it discusses many complex issues that we face today, like climate change, invasive species and red tide, with the same goal in mind as the original report: to ensure the continued protection of the island’s natural beauty.
The team behind the report has been putting this together for about a year, said Evans, and the process was expedited to ensure they can provide the report to the city’s planning committees. Once the report is fully vetted, it is expected to be released to the public in 2027.
“We’re just really carrying out our original legacy in doing this second round of The Sanibel Report,” Evans said. “I’m really excited to be part of it. And of course, I am in a unique situation because I do sit on the Sanibel Plan Steering Committee, and we have other members of the committee that feel the same way I do and understand the importance of making sure science continues to guide our decisions.”
For Sanibel, protecting natural resources is closely tied to the island’s economy.
“People are quick to make it feel like business vs. environment,” said Calli Johnson duPont, SCCF Board of Trustees secretary and Sanibel Plan Update Steering Committee chair. “But here, business is environment. Environment is business. Even if your business is not directly affected by the environment, the reason people want to be here is because of the environment.”
On Nov. 10, SCCF will host a public program featuring an overview of the report, followed by a panel discussion with the minds behind the project. The goal of this event is not only to help the public understand the research and discuss how it could inform policy recommendations, but also to hear feedback on the report itself before SCCF finalizes it.
“It’s extremely important, and it’s very unusual,” said retired UF Law Professor Tom Ankerson when talking about the upcoming event. “I don’t know that you’re going to see many places in the United States and in Florida, in particular, where science is a principal driver of the policy that underlies the decisions that are made by local governments.”
Ankerson, who worked closely with scientists on the report, said Sanibel’s planning process must account for the ways natural systems change over time.
“Making sure that the community knows and understands that nature is not static; nature is constantly evolving. And we are evolving it, and so therefore we need to be able to develop policies that reflect that,” he said.
The discussion will be held from 5:30-7:30 pm at SCCF’s Bailey Homestead Preserve, 1300 Periwinkle Way, on Nov 10. This program is entirely open to the public and is free of charge, though registration is required through the link here.
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