Year: 2015
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: The Everglades used to encompass 3 million acres of slow-moving water associated with biota and stretch from Lake Okeechobee in the north to Florida Bay in the south. Between 1881 and 1884, development projects were conducted that converted the Everglades to an area of high agricultural productivity and urban development, affecting the flow of water north of Lake Okeechobee. By 1947, urban and agricultural development within central Florida had caused devastating floods that cost Florida millions of dollars and thousands of people. Consequently, Florida established the Central and Southern Florida Project to provide flood control and manage urban and agricultural water supply. Although this plan achieved its goals, it also resulted in significant degradation of the Everglades ecosystem. The effects included over-drainage, soil depletion, reduced flow to Florida Bay, nutrient overload and disruption of the ecosystem. To rectify this situation, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was approved in 2000 with a purpose to restore, protect and preserve the water resources of central and southern Florida. According to Sigurdur Greipsson, restoration is the process of rebuilding a degraded ecosystem until it reaches its original state. Restoration projects should set goals or milestones, which are flexible and realistic and address the interests of all stakeholders and degradation causes. Unfortunately, conflicts of interests among stakeholders and attempts at generating funding have slowed down restoration efforts over the past fifteen years, delaying its implementation. This project will examine the factors that led to the deterioration of the Everglades, the major components of the restoration plan and the future actions that need to be taken.
Authors: Emily Walker, Olivia C. Rivera, Alexa Junker
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2353852401