An ecosystem is a very fragile system, much like a house of cards or row of dominoes. With one small change, the whole things can break down and collapse. This analogy directly describes many ecosystems such as the Everglades in Florida, which is facing changes that are upsetting the ecosystem's delicate balance. Located in Florida, the Everglades is a massive wetland consisting of many marshes and mangrove forests. It is also the home to many animal species, many of which are very rare. The Everglades was like this for many years until its natural order was disrupted by in the early 1900s by incoming settlers. These settlers saw the Everglades as useless marshes, so they ended up draining these marshes to allow the land to be used …show more content…
According to Source #1, "Past and Present: The Florida Everglades" by Toby Haskell, "[W]hen settlers from outside of Florida came to the Everglades, they considered it useless swampland. They had the idea of draining the Everglades. From 1905-1910, the settlers began to convert the land to be used for agricultural purposes...The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and government officials authorized the digging of canals, the creation of water storage facilities, and the regulation of the flow of water. The streams were dredged, and the Everglades was nearly drained entirely...As a result, the quantity and diversity of the wetlands' wildlife decreased and 50% of the original wetlands of South Florida no longer exist today." Due to this draining of the wetlands and redirecting of the Everglades fresh water, these beautiful wetlands are being erased from existence. This is also negatively affecting animal populations in the Everglades and destroying biodiversity. Additionally, Source #2, "Can We Fix the Water Supply?" by Caleb Hughes states, "The Everglades, which provides water to nearly 7 million people living in Florida, has fallen victim to three extended droughts over the last 10 years. When a fragile ecosystem like the Everglades undergoes even a small change like a particularly rainy storm or a short-term lapse in rainfall, the repercussions can …show more content…
According to the aforementioned Source #2, "When that water is in short supply or contaminated, the effects can be staggering. One reason the water in the Everglades faces these issues is that the sugarcane crop grows so well there. The Everglades is host to 440,000 acres of sugar cane. As the demand for the sugarcane crop increases, more land is needed for planting, which means less land is available to support life. Also, as the sugarcane crop is harvested, fertilizer used on the plants to ensure a successful crop introduces chemicals and excess amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus into the delicate ecosystem. These chemicals contaminate the often limited water supply found in the Everglades." As a consequence of the growth of so many sugarcane crops in the Everglades and the usage of fertilizer on said crops, the water is being mixed with dangerous chemicals. These chemicals are contaminating what little water the Everglades still has. Furthermore, as stated by Source #3, "Water Quality Nearly Halts Everglades Restoration" by Robin Martelli, "The water that once flowed into the Everglades is now directed to irrigate farmland...Plans are now in place to restore the Everglades by reinstituting the natural water flow to the wetlands that had previously been cut off. Unfortunately, the
In the state of Florida majority of its drinking waters comes from these deep layers of limestone that actually stores water. Florida has the most springs and are quite unique to the earth’s ecosystem and is the greatest groundwater system on earth. Furthermore, the water from the Florida aquifer
I live in Houma, Louisiana so I have tons of experience with the bayou region of South Louisiana. Everywhere I look in Houma there is a bayou, which is a good and bad thing. With a bayou comes many great things such as Egrets, Spanish Moss, etc. The bad thing about seeing many bayous is that it is a constant reminder that one day, Houma might be a part of the Gulf of Mexico. Also my dad’s side of the family is from Chauvin and Golden Meadow which is not too far from where the real damage of eroding wetlands is. I go down to Chauvin sometimes to visit my Nanny and her husband. I always see houses on stilts because of possible flooding that could come if a hurricane passes through. One of the issues that Mike Tidwell caught my interest was that the wildlife in bayous will one day be diminished into smaller numbers. That is because the eroding land causes brown shrimp, crabs, and other seafood to die out. Many residents in South Louisiana make a living off of seafood so to have most of that industry die out will hurt the economy of South Louisiana. I just found this issue very interesting.
This is a very critical situation that needs to be fixed urgently. The habitats of the Everglades depend on an annual water cycle which has been hindered by the development construction which was imposed on the farmland. Back in the 19th century, developers were keen on draining all the swamps in the Everglades for developmental purposes. Their intention was to grow sugarcane plantations on the land yet sugarcanes are highly destructive to the Everglades. They too disrupt the water cycle to which the wildlife has adapted. The Florida sugar industry built on the southern Shore of Lake Okeechobee directly clocks the water source for the remaining Everglades hence destroying the habitats of the wildlife existing in the affected areas.
Fifty percent of the original wetlands doesn’t even exist today. The water supply in the Everglades is changing and that has affected the Everglades in many ways. For one, population is decreasing and mankind needs to restore it somehow. Next, the Everglades are in need of some money to do that restoration, but where will they get it from? Last, the water supply is poisoning the humanity around it with much bacteria and many bad and dangerous elements. The Everglades water supply affected it in fixing the Everglades and wildlife.
Admittedly, 2/3 of the world’s population living with water shortages is a scary enough statistic to send a shiver up the spine. Barlow doesn’t stop there, however; she goes on to say that only 2% of the U.S. rivers and wetlands remain untouched. What does that mean for the creatures that live there? Covered that too, “37% of freshwater fish are at risk of extinction, 40% of amphibians are imperiled and 67% of freshwater mussels are extinct or vulnerable to extinction”.... ...
The invasive species, the Burmese Python has done irreparable damage to the Everglades National Park in Florida. A steady decline in mammals has been observed since the introduction of Burmese pythons occurred. Burmese pythons were first introduced into the United States as part of the pet trade which then led to the escape or intentional release out into the wild. The first notation of these species arriving was in the year 2000. However, within just eleven years this invasive species had done such a large amount of damage to Florida’s Ecosystem that many species had gone almost completely extinct.
This is a result from the new levee system. This system prevents the natural ways of sediment re-depositing along the riverbank and wetlands. The levees lead the sediment to deposit off the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. (15) This adds to the loss of wetlands along the coast. Wetlands are important to the economy in more than one way. They serve as homes for fish which fishermen catch then sell and they protect the mainland from getting the full effect of storm surge during a hurricane. “Every 2.7 miles of wetlands absorbs one foot of storm surge” (1.2). Without wetlands and barrier islands working as a barrier, the mainland could experience even more damage during
...restore natural lands. The federal, state, and local governments are joining forces to bring these pristine natural lands back to their original splendor and beauty. "The question of why we should protect the Everglades has now evolved into how we should restore the Everglades," according to Suzie Unger. "Everglades National Park is the largest remaining sub-tropical wilderness in the continental United States and has extensive fresh and saltwater areas, open Everglades prairies, and mangrove forests. Abundant wildlife includes rare and colorful birds, and this is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. The park is 1,506,539 acres (606,688 hectares) in size. It is a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Significance," according to the following website: http://nps.gov/ever
Florida became a state in 1845 and almost immediately people began proposing to drain the Everglades. In 1848, a government report said that draining the Everglades would be easy, and there would be no bad effect. Canals and dams were dug to control seasonal flooding. Farmers grew vegetables in the rich soil of the drained land, Ranchers had their cattle graze on the dry land, and new railways lines were constructed to connect communities throughout south Florida; but the ecosystem of the Everglades was not suited for either farming or ranching. The natural cycle of dry and wet seasons brought a devastating series of droughts and floods. These had always been a p...
...n, the Louisiana wetlands are an extremely valuable asset to the State of Louisiana and the United States. The continual loss of Louisiana wetlands has the potential to have an immensely negative effect on the economy at a state and national level. Over 2 million people live in the Louisiana coastal parishes (Field et al., 1991). The majority of people living on the Louisiana coast make their living from things that are directly related to the wetlands. The Louisiana wetlands make up the largest wetland community in America and is being lost at a rate greater than the other wetland communities in the country. The suggested strategies that are being taken into consideration could be helpful but it seems that the State of Louisiana is not as concerned as it should be given the future consequences and much like climate change coastal erosion is not being taken serious.
The water supply of Florida is important for a number of reasons. But it is crucial because it not only helped develop human society but it is also continually sustaining it. There are a number of phases and processes that take place to make this happen.
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
Many of these causes could be prevented fairly easily. If people today would just follow some simple rules, none of these would be as big as they are now.
Biodiversity loss can lead to extinction, and hurt human life. It is our responsibility to take care of the environment. We bring in machines that harm the environment and destroy animal life. We need to limit ourselves on how much land and resources we consume. There are major issues that are causing species to become extinct and hurt our way of life and other animals do to the change in food chain.
Nowadays it is common to read articles in newspapers and magazines regarding biodiversity issues. Human beings have been knowingly and unknowingly destroying biodiversity since their existence. Biodiversity is the measure of the variety of species of animals living in an area. Forests are usually areas with high biodiversity while deserts are the opposite. Human beings have always destroyed biodiversity either by deforestation, or by some other means. Biodiversity depletion is a natural phenomenon. But the present levels of biodiversity depletion are many times higher than the natural rate. Recently the levels of loss in biodiversity have started causing global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth.