Everglades Restoration
In the mid-1800s, the wetlands of southern Florida covered an area of almost nine million acres and remained an untamed wilderness into the early 1900s. One hundred years later, the area that once stretched from Lake Okeechobee all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, has now been reduced by more than 50 percent. The Everglades have changed greatly, some due to natural factors but most changes have been a result of human interaction. These man made impacts have severely changed the ecosystem having a negative effect on all organisms and natural resources. (1) Because of a desire for land and raw materials, and due too pollution and indiscriminate hunting many plant and wildlife species are on the verge of extinction. Drainage of wetlands, alteration of overland water flow and hunting have all contributed to species decline. (10) In the early days of human settlement in south Florida including before Europeans arrived water limited where people could live, how successful their attempts at agriculture would be, and how permanent their homes and towns were. The problem seemed to be too much water. Beginning in the mid-1800s, the State of Florida offered cheap farmland in the Everglades to people who could drain it. (2) People would
n 12 million come in winter's dry season as water supplies naturally drop. There have been many homes built, too much farming and too much drainage to the point where we have irreversibly altered the ecological system, and even if the agricultural area were reflooded, it wouldn't function like it used to. (7) The Everglades wetlands play key roles in forming soil for agriculture, maintaining major commercial and sport fisheries, and in supporting the states all important tourism industry. Florida residence h!ave different views on the everglades and whether or not anything should be done about it. And others support restoration, but according to Eric Katz, at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, it is imperative that we do not get confused about the real reason for an attempt at restoration (585). (4) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The everglades are home to hundreds of different species, and in its healthy state, provide a home in which without many of these species would die. GraggEnvironmental Ethics 4032 Economic Facts:n Today, 900 people move to Florida daily n Florida's daily population increase demand 200,000 more gallons of freshwater every day. The future of South Florida is linked to the fate of the Everglades ecosystem. In his essay The Big Lie, Katz argues that it is anthropocentric to believe that humans can restore damage ecosystems, and that the real reason for restoration is to satisfy human needs (580)(13). And this spring appropriated $200 million for restoration activities. As they arrived, developers cut more canals and built new ro!ads. (10) Over the last century the draining of these waters have been manipulated to suit the changing needs of the people. Others are less optimistic and worry that the government is relying too much on the tactics that caused the problems in the first place, namely over reliance on technology and human manipulation of water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**Works Cited PageEnvironmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence.
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Acceptance Essays
