Anne has been involved in marine conservation work in Florida for over 30 years. She joined The Nature Conservancy in 2004 and as the Florida Oceans and Coasts Strategy Director she is responsible for guiding work on restoring and managing coastal systems. This includes habitat restoration, management, and policy actions, and convening diverse stakeholders to tackle issues affecting Florida’s estuarine systems. She facilitated community-based watershed planning efforts in six watersheds along Florida’s Gulf Coast that led to the creation of three new Estuary Programs. Anne has a special affinity for the charismatic oyster and manages a large-scale oyster habitat restoration project in Pensacola, Florida. She led the development of the Oyster Fisheries and Habitat Management plan for the Pensacola Bay System and continue to work with the community to implement the plan. She is currently facilitating a process to develop a statewide oyster management plan – the first in Florida. Anne holds a Master’s degree in Biology and Marine Ecology. She serves on the Boards of the Florida Oceans Alliance and Inwater Research Group and is a member of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program’s Science Technical Engineering and Modeling Advisory Committee, Northeast Florida Ecosystem Restoration Team Steering Committee, and the Florida Oyster Restoration Science Steering Committee.
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Anne Birch
Florida Oceans and Coasts Strategy Director
Anne has been involved in marine conservation work in Florida for over 30 years.

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