SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. - Christina Brownlow unfolds the welcome mat whenever a family of raccoons, foxes or squirrels strays into her yard.

With its canopy of fruit trees and foliage, and colorful gardens of butterflies, Brownlow's 2.5-acre property has been certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, which promotes coexistence with animals whose natural habitat is rapidly disappearing.

"How do you define a habitat? It's like a hotel, a place where wildlife can stop and rest, eat and go on their way," said Brownlow, an adult-education teacher who grew up in the Southwest Ranches, Fla., home her parents bought 40 years ago.

There are 103,000 certified wildlife habitats nationwide, with Florida leading the nation, according to Roxanne Paul, the federation's operations coordinator. In Broward, there are 1,614; most of those are backyards, but some are schools and even businesses.