The Everglades are a massive complex ecosystem at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. It is full of diverse flora and fauna, and the natural watershed and wetlands once covered nearly 47,000 sq km. The Everglades once made up about 10,000 sq km of this watershed, but today the Everglades span around 5,000 sq km. The area experiences seasonal weather, with a wet and hot summer and relatively dry and mild winters. To the east of the Everglades is the urban Miami metropolitan area, with around 6 million residents. To the north is Lake Okeechobee, the main source of water that flows into the Everglades. Between the lake and the Everglades is a rich area of peat soils that is used mostly for agriculture of plants like sugar cane, corn, vegetables, rice, and sod.
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In the early 1800s, the Everglades were largely uncontrolled and inhabited by the Indigenous Seminole people. After the Seminole war in the 1830s Florida joined the United States, and in 1850 the Swamplands Act was passed, which gave all undesirable swamplands in the new state to the US Government who could then sell it to the highest bidder (Light et al., 1994). These historical choices led to what is now an area of marshes and wetlands that are experiencing negative impacts due to anthropogenic activities such as canal building, levees, agriculture, and property development. The Everglades are protected as a national park, and there is a massive economic incentive to protect the health and well being of the ecosystem, as Everglades National Park can bring in over $100 million to the Florida economy (NPS, 2015) and provide jobs to Floridians. Arguably of more importance, the Everglades act as storage for freshwater that supports nearly 10 million people and a barrier that protects from hurricanes, prevents flooding, and prevents
In the early 1800s, the Everglades were largely uncontrolled and inhabited by the Indigenous Seminole people. After the Seminole war in the 1830s Florida joined the United States, and in 1850 the Swamplands Act was passed, which gave all undesirable swamplands in the new state to the US Government who could then sell it to the highest bidder (Light et al., 1994). These historical choices led to what is now an area of marshes and wetlands that are experiencing negative impacts due to anthropogenic activities such as canal building, levees, agriculture, and property development. The Everglades are protected as a national park, and there is a massive economic incentive to protect the health and well being of the ecosystem, as Everglades National Park can bring in over $100 million to the Florida economy (NPS, 2015) and provide jobs to Floridians. Arguably of more importance, the Everglades act as storage for freshwater that supports nearly 10 million people and a barrier that protects from hurricanes, prevents flooding, and prevents