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Comprehensive Plan Conservation Element <br />Indian River County <br />The County's Landscape Ordinance (LDR Chapter 926) requires the use of water conserving <br />landscape for new developments. These regulations require: <br />➢ A minimum of 50 percent of all new landscape material to be "moderately" to "very" <br />drought tolerant. <br />➢ An underground irrigation system for all new development, unless specifically <br />exempt. <br />➢ All new irrigation systems to connect to wastewater effluent lines when available. In <br />the event that wastewater effluent lines are not available, new irrigation systems must <br />be designed for connection to proposed wastewater effluent lines. <br />Presently, Indian River County does not have a water conservation program at the local level. <br />Additional information regarding water conservation is contained in the Natural Groundwater <br />Aquifer Recharge Sub -Element and the Potable Water Sub -Element. <br />Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species <br />Largely due to sub -tropical climatic conditions, Florida is host to many species of flora and fauna <br />that are not found in other areas of the United States. The survival of these flora and fauna species <br />depends on many factors and living needs that vary with individual species. For example, some <br />species, such as numerous amphibian and reptile species, are habitat "specialists," where resident <br />species have small home range sizes with resource requirements that may be provided within a single <br />isolated wetland. At the other extreme, large, frequently wide-ranging species, such as bald eagles, <br />mink, or the Florida panther, may be no less dependent on wetlands for specific life needs, but they <br />cannot be restricted to, nor contained within, a small tract of wetland. Species such as these utilize <br />two or more specific habitat types within a regional landscape in order to meet their life <br />requirements. <br />As development continues and loss of natural areas and habitat fragmentation occurs, the survival of <br />various species is threatened, with wide-ranging species becoming more vulnerable to automobile <br />collisions or obstacles to migration. Area -sensitive or interior species that reproduce only in the <br />interior of large tracts of wetlands or uplands are vulnerable to a reduction in the size of individual <br />component wetlands/uplands as well as a reduction in total wetland/upland acreage. Some species, <br />especially wide-ranging carnivores or raptors, have minimum areal needs to prevent loss of their <br />population's genetic integrity. Fragmentation of ecological communities may also result in an <br />increase of species common to disturbed environments (e.g. starlings, crows, raccoons, cowbirds). <br />Community Development Department Indian River County 32 <br />