3
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
C.W. Finkl, C. Makowski (eds.), Coastal Wetlands: Alteration and Remediation,
Coastal Research Library 21, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56179-0_1
Chapter 1
The Florida Everglades: An Overview
of Alteration and Restoration
Charles W. Finkl and Christopher Makowski
Abstract The Florida Everglades, currently designated as a Wetland of International
Importance (Ramsar Convention), an International Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO),
and a World Heritage Site in Danger (UNESCO), was administered around the turn
of twentieth century by federal and state ditch and drain policies to ‘reclaim’ the
coastal wetlands for urban sprawl, agriculture, and flood control. Today, the so- called
‘river of grass’ is only about half of its original extent; the remaining oligotrophic
wetlands have been compromised by an ingress of nutrient-rich polluted and
contaminated waters from agriculture and urban development. Furthermore, the
spread of invasive flora and fauna have further compromised these wetland environments. In attempts to repair some of the damage wreaked upon this unique subtropical coastal ecosystem, numerous programs have been implemented to produce the
world’s most expensive reclamation effort that amounts to more than US$8 billion.
Positionalities of special interest groups and hegemonial overthrusts by various
governmental agencies have produced a bewildering array of projects that fail to
address the real causes of degradation while treating only symptoms instead. Due to
the lack of common sense approaches of the restoration that deal with causes rather
than symptoms, such as further wetland alteration to naturalize surface flow patterns
of water and the inability to hinder the introduction/spread of exotic alien species, the
Florida Everglades has evolved into something quite different from pre- settlement
conditions, with major doubts that the ecosystem can be put back together again.
Keywords Wetlands • Urban sprawl • Agricultural runoff • Oligotrophic •
Eutrophification • Invasive species • Flooding • Everglades Agricultural Area •
Pollution • Environmental remediation
C.W. Finkl (*)
Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF), Fletcher, NC 28732, USA
Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
e-mail: cfinkl@cerf-jcr.com
C. Makowski
Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF), Coconut Creek, FL 33073, USA
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
C.W. Finkl, C. Makowski (eds.), Coastal Wetlands: Alteration and Remediation,
Coastal Research Library 21, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56179-0_1
Chapter 1
The Florida Everglades: An Overview
of Alteration and Restoration
Charles W. Finkl and Christopher Makowski
Abstract The Florida Everglades, currently designated as a Wetland of International
Importance (Ramsar Convention), an International Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO),
and a World Heritage Site in Danger (UNESCO), was administered around the turn
of twentieth century by federal and state ditch and drain policies to ‘reclaim’ the
coastal wetlands for urban sprawl, agriculture, and flood control. Today, the so- called
‘river of grass’ is only about half of its original extent; the remaining oligotrophic
wetlands have been compromised by an ingress of nutrient-rich polluted and
contaminated waters from agriculture and urban development. Furthermore, the
spread of invasive flora and fauna have further compromised these wetland environments. In attempts to repair some of the damage wreaked upon this unique subtropical coastal ecosystem, numerous programs have been implemented to produce the
world’s most expensive reclamation effort that amounts to more than US$8 billion.
Positionalities of special interest groups and hegemonial overthrusts by various
governmental agencies have produced a bewildering array of projects that fail to
address the real causes of degradation while treating only symptoms instead. Due to
the lack of common sense approaches of the restoration that deal with causes rather
than symptoms, such as further wetland alteration to naturalize surface flow patterns
of water and the inability to hinder the introduction/spread of exotic alien species, the
Florida Everglades has evolved into something quite different from pre- settlement
conditions, with major doubts that the ecosystem can be put back together again.
Keywords Wetlands • Urban sprawl • Agricultural runoff • Oligotrophic •
Eutrophification • Invasive species • Flooding • Everglades Agricultural Area •
Pollution • Environmental remediation
C.W. Finkl (*)
Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF), Fletcher, NC 28732, USA
Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
e-mail: cfinkl@cerf-jcr.com
C. Makowski
Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF), Coconut Creek, FL 33073, USA