Mission

The Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC) is dedicated to the protection, restoration, and long-term management of biodiversity on a regional basis, and to the prevention of regional extinctions of rare plants, animals and ecosystems.

Founded in 1984, IRC has spent more than two decades developing an innovative idea of conservation that seeks to protect and restore viable populations of all plant and animal species within a region, rather than simply focusing on charismatic animals or plants with narrow global ranges. Since 1994, we have worked on developing and testing intensive research methods to see how this work might be done. Our first test was the Floristic Inventory of South Florida (FISF), which to date has compiled data on more than 2,400 species of plants in South Florida. The results of the FISF are published online and in IRC’s critically acclaimed book Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration. IRC is now in the process of testing our methods with plants around the Caribbean basin as well as with animals in South Florida and the Bahamas.

Consistent with our Mission, IRC conducts research with and provides conservation services to government agencies such as the US National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry and the Florida Park Service. In addition, IRC collaborates with other non-profit conservation groups including Tropical Audubon Society, Florida Native Plant Society and Society for Ecological Restoration International, and provides educational tools and programs to the general public and private owners of conservation lands. Major grant support for IRC programs has been awarded by the Steve Arrowsmith Fund, the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Please visit IRC's Programs page to learn more about our work. Also, see our projects, publications and presentations pages for more details about our activities.

Until 1995, IRC had no paid staff, and until 2003 worked with a staff of just three – George Gann, Keith Bradley & Steve Woodmansee. Following the publication of Rare Plants of South Florida in 2002, IRC’s staff and programs began to grow. In 2006 we are eight full time staff plus part timers and volunteers. Please visit our staff page for more information on our excellent and dedicated staff. The IRC Board of Directors is composed of three original members of IRC from its inception in Colorado, USA.

Click for an expanded history of IRC since 1981.