39
able or uncorrectable problem. That is say even with best management practices,
adaptive management, and so on there is no way to correct, ameliorate, remediate,
or rectify the damage caused by exotics that are mobile and impossible to track
down or eliminate. The Everglades can never be put back together or restored to
pre-settlement conditions and there is thus great uncertainty in the results of management scenarios (e.g., Fuller et al. 2008). The situation is out of control and has
gone too far. Some conditions can be improved, such as providing clean water to the
Everglades (Perry 2004, 2008), but conditions involving exotics are escalating and
becoming direr with time. This aspect of the Everglades problem is intractable and
humans will have to adapt to the new evolving expansion of invasive reptilians. For
South Florida, this will become a brave new world. Many societies live with pythons,
mambas, and cobras in other parts of the world. They have learned how to accommodate the risk and deaths associated with unexpected encounters with these deadly
reptiles. South Florida will become another learning ground.
In sum, the idea of restoring the Florida Everglades is laudable and a worthy goal
in concept. Attempts to restore wetlands are serious business (Conniff 2014), but
they must be approached in the correct manner (e.g., NRC 1992). In practice, however, the problem is not solvable to the extent that is advertised to the public or
reported in most of the scientific literature. The critical component or key to resolving environmental degradation lies with the willingness, or lack thereof, of those in
power to provide a buffer zone around the Everglades that is devoid of agriculture.
Last but not least, there is a responsibility of the federal government and State of
Florida to protect what is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance, an
International Biosphere Reserve, and a World Heritage Site.
The responsibility of clean up is strong, the task is enormous, and the goals of
restoration momentous. Parts of the Everglades problem can be solved if there is
willingness but other parts will remain problematic. What is happening in the
Florida Everglades is not unique as coastal wetlands throughout the urbanized world
are threatened by inaction or insufficient efforts, as governments are not prescient
enough to recognize or deal with the environmental problems or lack the funding to
do so. The Florida Everglades problem is huge by any standard, but other smaller
coastal wetland projects elsewhere may show better success ratios by virtue of scalar factors. Additionally, time is not on the side of restoration efforts because polluted or contaminated water from agriculture continues to enter the Everglades
ecosystem and because invasive and exotic populations will increase with time. And
finally, there remains the case of the coral reefs that are degraded by upwelling of
nutrient-rich ground waters that have taken several decades to reach tide from the
agricultural areas (Finkl and Krupa 2003; Finkl et al. 2005). Even if the source areas
of nutrient input (the EAAs) through organic soils into the aquifers are immediately
eliminated, decadal transit times means that the coral reef system will be impacted
for at least another half century. Time is thus of the essence to correct known deficiencies in plans to bring the Everglades ecosystem to a more robust and healthier
state.
1 The Florida Everglades: An Overview of Alteration and Restoration
able or uncorrectable problem. That is say even with best management practices,
adaptive management, and so on there is no way to correct, ameliorate, remediate,
or rectify the damage caused by exotics that are mobile and impossible to track
down or eliminate. The Everglades can never be put back together or restored to
pre-settlement conditions and there is thus great uncertainty in the results of management scenarios (e.g., Fuller et al. 2008). The situation is out of control and has
gone too far. Some conditions can be improved, such as providing clean water to the
Everglades (Perry 2004, 2008), but conditions involving exotics are escalating and
becoming direr with time. This aspect of the Everglades problem is intractable and
humans will have to adapt to the new evolving expansion of invasive reptilians. For
South Florida, this will become a brave new world. Many societies live with pythons,
mambas, and cobras in other parts of the world. They have learned how to accommodate the risk and deaths associated with unexpected encounters with these deadly
reptiles. South Florida will become another learning ground.
In sum, the idea of restoring the Florida Everglades is laudable and a worthy goal
in concept. Attempts to restore wetlands are serious business (Conniff 2014), but
they must be approached in the correct manner (e.g., NRC 1992). In practice, however, the problem is not solvable to the extent that is advertised to the public or
reported in most of the scientific literature. The critical component or key to resolving environmental degradation lies with the willingness, or lack thereof, of those in
power to provide a buffer zone around the Everglades that is devoid of agriculture.
Last but not least, there is a responsibility of the federal government and State of
Florida to protect what is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance, an
International Biosphere Reserve, and a World Heritage Site.
The responsibility of clean up is strong, the task is enormous, and the goals of
restoration momentous. Parts of the Everglades problem can be solved if there is
willingness but other parts will remain problematic. What is happening in the
Florida Everglades is not unique as coastal wetlands throughout the urbanized world
are threatened by inaction or insufficient efforts, as governments are not prescient
enough to recognize or deal with the environmental problems or lack the funding to
do so. The Florida Everglades problem is huge by any standard, but other smaller
coastal wetland projects elsewhere may show better success ratios by virtue of scalar factors. Additionally, time is not on the side of restoration efforts because polluted or contaminated water from agriculture continues to enter the Everglades
ecosystem and because invasive and exotic populations will increase with time. And
finally, there remains the case of the coral reefs that are degraded by upwelling of
nutrient-rich ground waters that have taken several decades to reach tide from the
agricultural areas (Finkl and Krupa 2003; Finkl et al. 2005). Even if the source areas
of nutrient input (the EAAs) through organic soils into the aquifers are immediately
eliminated, decadal transit times means that the coral reef system will be impacted
for at least another half century. Time is thus of the essence to correct known deficiencies in plans to bring the Everglades ecosystem to a more robust and healthier
state.
1 The Florida Everglades: An Overview of Alteration and Restoration