A Park In Peril

On December 6, 1947, the Everglades became a national park in the U.S. state of Florida. Being the largest subtropical wilderness in the US, it has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance. Only two other locations in the world appear on all 3 lists. Just to underline its uniqueness. It’s sponge-like limestone captures most of the rainfall and provides the fresh water supply of the whole region. Its mangrove trees, which thrive in salty and brackish water, act as a nursery for many marine and bird species, and are Florida's first defense against the destructive forces of hurricanes, absorbing flood waters and preventing coastal erosion. 

There’s a ‘but’ coming, and it has a human origin (what else?): next to the inexhaustible and ruthless demand for fresh water that might be no surprise, there are the unexpected side effects of human carelessness that endangers this region. Non-native species of plants and animals, both products of international trade in exotics, compete with native species and are hard, if not impossible, to eradicate. It’s again to know what you’ve got, and to know how to keep it. Image by Photobucket/josef344