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Panther habitat zones were developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's panther subteam of Multi-Species/Ecosystem Recovery Implementation Team (MERIT). Members of the MERIT panther recovery subteam identified lands essential to the long-term survival of the Florida panther. The MERIT subteam defined the Primary Zone as "all lands essential for the survival of the Florida panther in the wild." A Secondary Zone includes "lands contiguous with the Primary Zone, and areas which panthers may currently use, and where expansion of the Florida panther population is most likely to occur". Lastly, a Dispersal Zone was identified as an area needed for panthers to disperse north of the Caloosahatchee River. |