Many Southwest Florida island paradises such as Captiva off Lee County’s coast are pushing back against the same things to keep "paradise" in their descriptions — too many rental homes, too much commercial development, and two invasive species: Australian pine trees and green iguanas.
The Australian pine tree is good for a few things: shade, a wind break.
The destructive green iguana, also a non-native invasive species, is good for nothing.
That is why the Captiva Erosion Control District is removing as many of both as possible — at no cost to island residents.
"Australian pine trees are an invasive species that weaken dune systems, crowd out native vegetation, and reduce the overall resilience of our shoreline," the district wrote on its website. “Their shallow root systems make them particularly vulnerable during storm events, often leading to blowdowns that damage property and infrastructure.”
Florida is home to more non-native species than any other state in the country, and most of them cause harm, whether that’s to native wildlife, to infrastructure, or the ecosystems that make Peninsular Florida livable. Southwest Florida's neighborhoods are full of non-native species so common that most residents barely notice them anymore: Muscovy ducks waddling through parking lots, Cuban treefrogs clinging to porch lights, Brazilian pepper trees lining canal banks.
Many were brought here by mistake, or before anyone knew the consequences of importing flora or fauna. They’ve been around for so long, they look like they belong here.
They don't.
The ducks interbreed with native waterfowl and clog waterways. The tree frogs eat Florida's native frogs. Brazilian pepper chokes out native vegetation across hundreds of thousands of acres. They are the invasive species hiding in plain sight.
Australian pines are tall, bushy trees that crowd together along Southwest Florida's shorelines, choking out the native plants that native wildlife needs to survive. Their root systems, which grow deep in their home soils of Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and India, spread shallow and wide in Florida sand.
Instead of deep roots holding dunes in place, sand washes through the shallow system, which also allows the trees to more easily blow over in a hurricane.
The roots also spread over and destroy sea turtle nesting habitat.
When an Australian pine is disturbed by things that move the whole tree — being cut down or hurricane-force winds — it can cause its mature cones to break open and release seeds with thin, papery wing-like structures. Those can be carried by the wind and can drift some distance before settling. If even a fraction of them take root and grow to maturity, the non-native pine wins.
If not: “Removing these trees and reestablishing native vegetation strengthens our dunes, enhances storm protection, and improves habitat for wildlife, including shorebirds and sea turtles."
The erosion district has secured a six-figure grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove Australian pines and iguanas from the island, one property at a time. The tree program covers everything — the branch, the trunk, the stump.
The catch: It is voluntary. Property owners have to say yes, and that is not a given. Some residents are attached to the trees for the shade they provide, and defend the pines when asked for permission to remove the harmful trees.
Although the district said that's not the norm.
"The feedback to date has been overwhelmingly favorable," the district wrote. "If you have Australian pines on your property — particularly within or adjacent to dune areas — we strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity while funding remains available."
Green iguanas are non-native reptiles originally from Central and South America, and their population has exploded in coastal Florida over the past decade, including Captiva Island. These large lizards may seem harmless, but they cause widespread damage to vegetation, infrastructure, and native wildlife.
Prolific diggers, they burrow along seawalls, sidewalks, and building foundations. The iguanas feed on flowering plants, landscaping, and native vegetation, including mangroves. Green iguanas also outcompete or displace native species such as the gopher tortoise, which can reduce biodiversity and alter the natural character of an island.
The programs will remain open until June 30 or until the grant money runs out.
To take part in either program, email the Captiva Erosion Control District here , or call (239) 472-2472.
Most rules have exceptions. And in Southwest Florida, the exception to invasive species being unwanted is the monk parakeet.
Filling an ecological void left by the Carolina parakeet when the bird went extinct in 1918, the monk parakeet is colorful, noisy, social, and entertaining.
The bird is bright green. It usually perches on power lines, feeds in palm trees, and squawks at each other right in front of people.
When on the move, they fly in loud, chattering flocks from Fort Myers to Miami to Tampa. To rest, the parakeets build communal stick nests the size of a small car on utility poles and cell towers.
The parakeets’ greatest sin is shorting out transformers, which most people never connect to the birds.
They have achieved the status of being scientifically “charismatic,” a term biologists use when a species has qualities that make humans want to protect it rather than remove it.
Monk parakeets have it. Australian pines? Sometimes. Green iguanas? Not often.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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