To honor the City of Sanibel’s 50th anniversary of incorporation, SCCF is sharing stories each month to celebrate and chronicle our community’s incredible commitment to conservation. Click here to see all stories.

As a thorough analysis of Sanibel’s natural systems began nearly 50 years ago, the priority was to identify and classify the island’s ecological zones — the subsystems of its overall ecosystem.

Commissioned by SCCF, the Washington, D.C.-based Conservation Foundation (CF) began its natural systems study in May 1975. As the study progressed through the summer, CF made its data collections, draft consultant reports, and preliminary findings available to SCCF, the citizens of Sanibel, the Planning Commission, and the planning consultants, Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd (WMRT).

“The aim of the analysis was also to provide a diagnosis of the condition of these zones and suggestions for best management practices to conserve the island’s natural systems and resources into the future,” said SCCF CEO James Evans. “It was a key first step in determining the natural system’s carrying capacity and how it could be used in formulating a comprehensive land-use plan.”

With the help of SCCF, the CF put together a team of experts to assist with its carrying-capacity assessment and the formulation of conservation requirements. The experts presented individual reports that were integrated into an overall program of environmental management specifications.

“Because subsurface hydrology spans all zones and determines the characteristics of each zone, The Sanibel Report dealt with it as a primary factor in its analysis,” said Evans. “Proper water management was deemed essential to successful protection of the overall environment.”

Different Standards for Each Zone

The natural systems analysis defined several ecological zones, each with unique characteristics and varying tolerances that resulted in a different set of regulations or performance standards for each zone.

The main zones were identified as:

• Beachfront
• Interior Wetlands
• Uplands
• Mangroves

In the analysis, residential development was assessed based on the characteristics and vulnerabilities of the specific zones.

“A lot of people don’t realize how much the need for restoration also factored into The Sanibel Report,” said Evans. “Repair of existing damage to the natural systems was recommended as an important requirement for future health of the island’s unique ecosystem.”

Specifically, the analysis recommended water level restoration and flood control in the interior wetlands, drainage restoration in the mangroves, vegetation restoration in all four zones, and beach profile restoration.

After a series of consensus-based meetings to discuss the findings and recommendations with members of SCCF, they were presented to City Council on September 16, 1975.

Impacts on Development

With modifications and refinements by WMRT and the Planning Commission, the ecological zones provided the basis for permitted uses, density limits, and performance standards established by The Sanibel Plan, which would be approved in 1976.

The Sanibel Report also identified hurricanes as the major natural hazard affecting the development of Sanibel, with evacuation serving as the primary defense. The rate at which vehicles could move over the causeway was factored into the limit on population and residential density.

Next, our series will delve into each of the main ecological zones, including their identifying characteristics, wildlife habitats, conditions, and management recommendations.

SCCF is proud of the partnership role we have played over the last five decades to protect our unique island environment and the wildlife habitat it provides. Please make your most generous donation to support our work now and in the future. For more information, please contact SCCF Development Director Cheryl Giattini at 239-822-6121 
or cgiattini@sccf.org.