Beginning in the 1960s, exotic plant species invaded the island, displacing native plant species and wildlife so aggressively that the island's wetland functions were severely reduced.

Today, as the task of restoration progresses under management by Mariner Properties and with oversight by several regulatory agencies and State of Florida Land Managers, the ecosystem is healing and native wildlife is returning.

According to consulting Ecologist Kevin Erwin, the restoration of Little Pine Island is…"…remarkably successful, measured in part by the quick positive response of the native seed bank, buried for decades and shaded by exotics, resulting in the re-establishment of a native wetland groundcover…In areas where work has been completed, freshwater now pools where it had previously been drained…tidal action has also been restored where the sheet flow of brackish water had been interrupted…in addition, over 100 species of wildlife, including a nesting pair of Bald Eagles, have been documented…spring and fall migrations attracted dozens of species which have probably bypassed the island for decades."