34
With these thoughts in mind, it may be fair to ask whether the Everglades
Restoration Project represents an opus magnum of which all involved agencies and
institutions can be justly proud as a showcase for the world or whether the process
is in a death spiral. As it so often happens, when projects get so large and administered by many different and often competing heads, the overarching vision is lost in
the administrative details and obvious solutions based on common sense are overlooked (for political hegemonic reasons). This effect or result is not to suggest some
sinister plot or conspiracy but to note that common sense is not very common when
it comes to implementation.
1.4.3 The Cause of Wetland Degradation
If one were to stand back and look at the problems facing the well being of the
Everglades ecosystem, it would be quite obvious that the cause of ecological distress and decline is due to impacts associated with urban encroachment and agriculture (Fig. 1.10). Loss of wetlands due to urban expansion is obvious and now more
or less limited by the levees up to which subdivisions have spread. Wetland loss to
urbanization is now contained and the half of the Everglades built upon is gone
forever, never to be restored.
Agriculture surrounding the headwaters of the Everglades overland flow and in
the EAA is the other side of the problem than now threatens the remaining half of
the Everglades. This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak, and the problems
of pollution and nutrient enrichment of the oligotrophic wetlands become intractaFig. 1.10 Example of environmental degradation of wetlands by airboats in the southeastern-most
part of the Everglades in Dade County, Florida. The airboat trails look like roads or tracks, but they
are actually under water. Note the marshland in the foreground with tree islands in the background
(Credit: C.W. Finkl)
C.W. Finkl and C. Makowski
With these thoughts in mind, it may be fair to ask whether the Everglades
Restoration Project represents an opus magnum of which all involved agencies and
institutions can be justly proud as a showcase for the world or whether the process
is in a death spiral. As it so often happens, when projects get so large and administered by many different and often competing heads, the overarching vision is lost in
the administrative details and obvious solutions based on common sense are overlooked (for political hegemonic reasons). This effect or result is not to suggest some
sinister plot or conspiracy but to note that common sense is not very common when
it comes to implementation.
1.4.3 The Cause of Wetland Degradation
If one were to stand back and look at the problems facing the well being of the
Everglades ecosystem, it would be quite obvious that the cause of ecological distress and decline is due to impacts associated with urban encroachment and agriculture (Fig. 1.10). Loss of wetlands due to urban expansion is obvious and now more
or less limited by the levees up to which subdivisions have spread. Wetland loss to
urbanization is now contained and the half of the Everglades built upon is gone
forever, never to be restored.
Agriculture surrounding the headwaters of the Everglades overland flow and in
the EAA is the other side of the problem than now threatens the remaining half of
the Everglades. This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak, and the problems
of pollution and nutrient enrichment of the oligotrophic wetlands become intractaFig. 1.10 Example of environmental degradation of wetlands by airboats in the southeastern-most
part of the Everglades in Dade County, Florida. The airboat trails look like roads or tracks, but they
are actually under water. Note the marshland in the foreground with tree islands in the background
(Credit: C.W. Finkl)
C.W. Finkl and C. Makowski