The Everglades
SWES 474/574
Nicole Elizabeth Engelmann
Cadia Hernandez
Anna C Penaloza
Uyen Nguyen
Contents
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Background
Terrestrial ecosystem
Marine ecology and animals of the Everglades
Historical and human development
Restoration and management
Conclusions
Background
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The Everglades, also called The
River of Grass
Covering 4,000 sq miles and
extending from the Lake
Okeechobee to South Florida Bay
Everglades National Park is at
downstream end of massive
system of canals, levees, water
control structures.
The Everglades is a World
Heritage Site and an International
Reserve
About half of the area has been
lost to agriculture and
urbanization
Kissimmee
River
Lake
Okeechobee
The
Everglades
Florida
Keys
Facts
• Consisting the largest wetlands located in the
lower 48 states in the U.S.A
• Supplying fresh water for > 6 millions people
including Miami and surrounding regions of
South Florida.
• A sup-tropical climate enclosed with annual
natural hazards such as drought, flood, fire.
• The unique place on Earth exits both
alligators and crocodiles.
• Everglades restoration project is the largest
environmental repair job in the history.
Terrestrial ecosystem
• Home of more than 350
species of birds, over a
thousand species of
wetland plants, trees,
marsh vegetation,
invertebrates, fresh and
salt water fish, amphibians
reptiles and mammals.
• 67 threatened or
endangered species.
Everglades vegetation
in cross section
Source: Wikipedia
Invasive species Examples
• Plants: Brazilian pepper
tree, Chinese privet,
Punk tree, Australian
Pine, Burma reed and
Old World climbing
fern.
Invasive Species Examples
• Animals: Burmese
python, Cuban tree
frog, Nile monitor, and
wild boar.
Seasonal Use
• River Otter and
Everglade Mink:
• Highest frequency of
use in swamp forests.
Lowest frequency in
fresh water marshes.
• Highest frequency in
the late wet
season=mating season
for both species
Everglade birds in a eggshell
• Wading Birds: 16 species within the everglades. Are heavily
influenced by seasonal floods. Changes in water recession
and flooding rates can cause widespread nest abandonment
during breeding season. And constant water flow limitation
limits food availability.
• Land Birds: About 200 birds have been known to travel
through the Everglades and reside in the drier parts of the
park, as well as tree islands. These include warblers,
meadowlarks, blue jays, cardinals, red bellied woodpeckers.
• Birds of Prey: Includes the red shouldered hawk, barred owl,
osprey, bald eagle, and the threatened snail kite. These birds
are usually found in every everglade ecosystem.
The Florida Panther
• Endangered. Highly
elusive. Thought to be
extinct
• 30-60 estimated animals
left in the wild.
• Habitat has been reduced
to the Everglades National
Park and National
Preserve.
• Requires large territories
• Attempt at recovery
through captive breeding
Marine Ecology & Animals of the
Everglades
Florida Bay
• Fresh water coming into the bay
from the everglades creates
perfect conditions for vast beds of
turtle grass and algae formations.
• Sea grasses also serve to stabilize
the sea beds and protect
shorelines from erosion by
absorbing the waves.
Manatees
• Biggest single threat to
West Indian manatees
is death from collisions
with recreational
watercrafts.
• Rebounded from
endangered to
threatened.
Sea Turtles
• Human development is a major threat to sea
turtles.
• They are important to their ecosystem due to
their link to sea grass beds.
Alligators/Crocodiles
• Alligators are tied to hydrology,
salinity and system productivity, all
of which should be affected during
restoration.
• Crocodiles most significant threat is
disturbance by people and is listed
as vulnerable.
Invasive Species
• Blue Tilapia
• Nile Monitor
History and Human development in the
Everglades
• Area of the watershed is over 50,000 sq
km
• Human population: ~ 6.5millions and
>85% people living along the Atlantic
Coastal Ridge
A Timeline of Human Development
• 1000 B.C. – 1513 – The Calusa Indians lived in
the Everglades before Spanish settlement.
• 1700s – Seminoles and Miccosukee were
forced to move to Southern Florida.
• Late 1800s- The only settlements in the
Everglades were: Chokoloskee, Cape Sable and
Flamingo
• 1850 – The Swamplands Act – Wetlands rights
were transferred from the government to the
state.
• 1905 – 1910 – major dredging efforts
• 1920s – canals, roads, and buildings built to
accommodate visitors
• 1947 – Everglades established as a national park
– 1.3 Million Acres of land set aside
• 1948 – Central and South Florida project - Army
Corps of Engineers built roads, canals, levees, and
water-control structures
– Major Degradation in Land Area
• 1962 – Channelization of Kissimmee River by
Army Corps of Engineers
– Destroyed 48,000 acres of wetland
• 1963 – Central Everglades divided into 3 areas
• 1967 - Florida panther, the snail kite, Cape Sable
seaside sparrow placed on the endangered list.
• 1971 – Disneyworld opens, Kissimmee River is
straightened
– Another 45,000 acres of floodplains lost
• 1974 – Big Cypress National Preserve established
• 1979 – Declared a World Heritage Site
• 2001 – CERP plans passed in Congress
POPULATION: 335,709
POPULATION: 238,300
POPULATION: 165,521
POPULATION: 399,457
AND COUNTING
The Results of the Big Boom
• The Everglades were disconnected from its natural
flowing system, Kissimmee River, and Lake Okeechobee
• 6.4 billion Liters of water that once went to the
Everglades must now be diverted to the ocean.
– Ocean is receiving too much freshwater, while estuaries
are not receiving enough
• Mercury, fertilizer, oil, and urban runoff now goes to
the Everglades.
• Human neglect of farmlands have lead to invasive
species domination
• 26% of the flora and fauna are exotic/invasive species
• 14 native species are endangered and 9 are threatened
So is it too late?
Management and Restoration Plans
• Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP)
• Early Everglades Restoration Initiatives
• Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species
Management Area (CISMA)
Why need good plans for management and
Restoration in the Everglades?
• It’s a wetland immense international importance, is threatened as a result of
human manipulation for drainage and development.
• The past management was only focused on issues associated with nutrient
enrichment and disruption of regional hydrology.
Temporal and spatial changes in soil total phosphorus content
and cattail coverage in the northern Everglades.
Sklar, F.H., Chimney, M.J., Newman, S., McCormick, P., Gawlik, D., Miao, ShiLi., McVoy, C., Said, W., Newman, J., Coronado, C., Crozier, G., Korvela, &
Rutchey, K.2005. The ecological-social underpinnings of Everglades restoration. Front Ecol Environ, 3(3), 161-169.
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP)
Objectives: CERP is expected to reverse negative
environmental trends by “getting the water right”.
How: This will produce ecological trade-offs and will require
new and innovative scientific measures to:
+ reduce total phosphorus concentrations within the
remaining marsh to 10 μg/L or lower.
+ quantify and link ecological benefits to the restoration of
depths, hydro periods, and flow velocities.
+ compensate for ecological, economic, and hydrologic
uncertainties in the CERP through adaptive management.
http://www.evergladesplan.org/
Early Everglades Restoration
Initiatives
• Ecological Deterioration:
predict salinity, increase
marsh hydro periods, reduce
coastal hyper salinity
• Corrective Actions to
Restore Hydrology: restore
flows, reduce seepage flows
, restore fresh water flows to
the Florida Bay.
http://www.evergladesplan.org
Water Conveyance
Features
Tamiami
Trail
Bridging
Buffers for
Seepage Mgmt.
and Flood
Control
http://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/cerp.htm
Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species
Management Area (CISMA)
• Improving the effectiveness of invasive
species control by sharing information,
innovation and technology : by making list of
priority plant/ animal, making Map,
network.
• Example: Rapid response to Lumnitzera
racemosa (an Austral-Asian Mangrove
Species)
http://www.evergladescisma.org/
Conclusions
• Terrestrial and marine plants and animals are
continuously being affected by invasive species
and development
• Florida’s big boom has lead to the transformation
of the land, including habitat loss and pollution
• It is true that restoration works can never restore
the Everglades to the real natural state. But it
may be helpful steps in restoring habitat for many
plants and animals in the ecosystem for survival.
Thank you !
and Any Questions?