The UNESCO Everglades: Too Little Too Late - Term Paper Example

The UNESCO Everglades Project: Too Little Too Late? Abstract The Everglades, a subtropical wetland in Florida, comprises the southern half of a large watershed considered one of the world’s most delicate and endangered wetlands in the world. The area, popularized by writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas in her 1946 work, "River of Grass,” gained the attention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which in 1979 placed it on its World Heritage List, and in 1993 on its Endangered List. Removed from the latter list in 2007, it was returned in 2010 as reported by United Press International (UPI) (2010) “to the delight of scientists... [concerned about the] “serious and continuing degradation of its aquatic ecosystem” (par. 1). The wisdom of this move is unquestioningly correct, given the importance of the area to its own ecosystems and those of other areas it affects. A major consideration for the UNESCO designation is the extraordinary variety and number of wildlife indigenous to the area undoubtedly threatened by encroaching development and natural disasters, including the pounding from hurricanes Florida has taken over the past several years. The Everglades National Park website (2010) is an authority on the exceptional variety of its water habitats and its scientists have developed an astonishing list of biological varieties by numbers... The Everglades protect 800 species of land and water vertebrates, including over 14 threatened species, and 25 mammals, over 400 bird species, 60 known species of reptile, amphibian and insect, including two threatened swallowtail butterfly species. Over 20 species of snake have been recorded, including the threatened indigo snake. More than 275 species of fish are known from the Everglades, most inhabiting the marine and estuarine waters. Several species are important game species that attract thousands of anglers to the park. During autumn a continuous procession of songbirds and other migrants fly over or rest on these islands. (par. 8) (The above is a direct quote and we never change formats. I have removed the period after, par. 8) Everglades National Park itself is a prime example of biological processes and interdependence of species. Its exceptional variety and importance of the health and stability of its habitats as sanctuary for large numbers of stable and migratory birds has been established. Providing sanctuary and home for many reptiles, including the Florida alligator once hunted for their hides and today are threatened mainly by habitat loss and encounters with people. “The wetlands also “provides refuge for over twenty rare, endangered, and threatened species....[including] the Florida panther, snail kite, alligator, crocodile, and manatee....[and] important foraging and breeding habitat for more than four-hundred species of birds...” (Everglades National Park website, 2010 par. 5). Important to UNESCO’s decision to maintain the Everglades on its list of threatened sites is the claim by the Park itself (2010) that the area constitutes “the most significant breeding grounds for wading birds in North America and is a major corridor for migration” (par. 5). The interrelationships in these habitats is complex, affecting not only the specific species but the entire ecosystem itself in the form of biochemical processes that occur naturally and support other life forms. Quoting Reddy and DeLaune (2008), Bosselman (2009) found that the “biogeochemistry processes by which an element or a compound is transformed...govern [not only the] surface and near-surface processes [but] plant production, microbial transformations, nutrient availability, pollutant removal, heavy metal chemistry, atmospheric exchange, and sediment transport” (1). This finding, probably not especially new in the science of wetlands, however reaffirms the interconnectedness of the various elements of the environment with the entire ecosystem. Upsetting this delicate balance is most often the element of human intrusion, in the Everglades case, overbuilding in the areas surrounding the Park that causes no end of environmental damage. The issue can not be stated any more clearly than it has been in “Man’s Impact on the Everglades” (n.d.). “Man has never been content to leave the natural preserved in the state in which it was discovered. Likewise, the Everglades ecosystem has been bombarded by this pressure as man seeks to "redesign" the environment to suit the needs of the ever encroaching human population” (par.1). Much of the damage dealt with today began in the late 1940s, when Central and Southern Florida Project for Flood Control and Other Purposes (C&SF) built levees that prevented natural water sheet flow from encroaching on development areas and encouraged agriculture by rerouting natural flows to fertilize land previously unfarmed. The result is that Water Conservation Areas regulating flood and drought have been reduced to 32 percent of its original area. That leaves the Park with only 25 percent of its historic freshwater system. (Man’s Impact...n.d.) Other ecosystem woes include the loss of wildlife and wildlife species diversity. “Snowy Egret, alligators, hunted for their hides, almost reached extinction until their sale was prohibited by law. Since that time, populations rebounded; however, bird populations still face intense reducing pressures” (Man’s Impact...n.d., par. 7). The entire picture, including biochemical changes, is a grim one. The intrusion of the Water Conservation Areas places ecosystem patterns in serious jeopardy, with the levee system interrupting natural drydown after wet periods, that in turn seriously disrupt and alter expected habitats, especially for birds. Likewise for alligators, which are very particular about their mating habitats and often will not accept fake canals built by man as nesting holes. In summation, the effects of man’s intrusion points back to the discussion of man-made biological factors discussed by Bosselman. Nutrient rich agricultural water increased the growth of swamp cattails, which in turn discourage growth of other food supplies. Mercury released by drainage and oxidation of soil for agriculture along with sugarcane burning and burning of fossil fuels also contribute to its rise. (Man’s Impact...n.d.) this paragraph is paraphrasing and does not require period after citation. The latest serious intrusion involves a major chain and a giant development. A recent deal between the state of Florida and US Sugar to purchase vast areas of land near Lake Okeechobee for Everglades’s restoration notwithstanding, other threats are in the wind. Lowe's Corporation, the major home improvement retailer, wants to build a large store on wetlands; a developer has sought permission to build 6,000 new homes, and developers want to build a large commercial office complex and industrial park on a parcel of land currently designed as wetlands. Developers have applied for permits to construct 6,000 homes and a large store that would infringe on wetland boundaries. In Broward county developers are pushing to build a corporate and industrial park in a water conservation area. On the bright side, hundreds of citizens, environmental groups and legal agencies have lined up to fight current intrusions into the Everglades. “Environment Florida is mobilizing Floridians on the streets, at their doors, through the media, and over the internet to urge our commissioners to “hold the line” on development” (Saving the Everglades, 2010 par. 8)  The Florida Nature Conservancy has saved over 600,000 acres of wetlands. Groups such as Friends of the Everglades “has filed or joined in ten Federal lawsuits [to preserve the Everglades] in the last ten years - three of which have been reviewed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and one by the United States Supreme Court” (Friends of the...2008, par.3). The group has also filed Friend of the Court briefs along with the Florida Wildlife Federation in an anti-pollution suit against the South Florida Water Management District; U.S. Sugar Corporation; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers. Consistent with ongoing environmental problems despite the arduous struggle to preserve the Everglades, “Lake Okeechobee, the liquid heart of the Everglades, continues to deteriorate” (Friends of the...2008, par. 5). As far as the case goes, a federal judge ruled in favor of the Friends, saying the defendants had violated the federal Clean Water Act, directing the parties to apply for federal permits to remove the pollution. As might be expected. The case is being appealed. (Friends of the...2008). Meanwhile, according to Damien Cave, writing for the New York Times, September 29, 2008: “The eight-year-old, multibillion-dollar effort [funded by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)] to rescue the Everglades has failed to halt the wetlands’ decline because of bureaucratic delays, a lack of financing from Congress and overdevelopment, according to a new report.” Having taken the Everglades off the list of endangered areas in 2007, UNESCO in 2010 voted to return the area to the endangered list, citing “The wetlands' water inflows have fallen by up to 60 percent and pollution has produced excess plant growth and a decline in marine species” (Colitt, 2010, par. 2). The UN News Center, 2010 reports that the area is “showing significant indications of eutrophication – the process by which a body of water becomes so overwhelmed by inorganic plant nutrients, such as phosphates, that algal blooms emerge and other animal life cannot survive” ( par. 6). The move by the U.S. government seems odd as the site was first inscribed on the danger list in 1993 because of the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew the previous year as well as a marked deterioration in water flow and quality due to urban development and agriculture. The Everglades was taken off the list in 2007 because the UNESCO was apparently satisfied with money allocated and promises made by the United States that it would improve the situation and rectify ongoing abuse by development—a situation that just as apparently never transpired. It is perplexing that a nation with the wealth of the U.S. would need to seek the help, or at least the auspices of a world organization to protect such a valuable resource within its own borders. Perhaps a commitment to free enterprise is preventing the U.S. from doing the right thing and placing respect for the environment over private profit. At any rate, as national and international attention turns once again to the Everglades, the pressure of the world’s attention may put subsequent pressure on leaders in government to “do the right thing.” However, it is doubtful from past practice, since money, power and most of all, property rights seem always to take precedence. This may be simply one more instance where the world, in disbelief, watches once again as the United States sacrifices its environmental soul on the alter of profit and convenience. The hope on the part of UNESCO and environmentalists concerned with the preservation of this large important watershed is that the United States will assume responsibility to save the area before it is lost forever. Bibliography Bosselman, F. (2009) “Swamp swaps: The "Second nature" of wetlands.” Environmental Law, 39: 3, 577+. Colitt, R. (2010) “UNESCO declares Everglades endangered site,” Reuters, June 30, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2010 from: Everglades National Park. World Heritage Convention (website) 1992-2010 Retrieved December 2, 2010 from: Friends of the Everglades legal update (2008). Friends of the Everglades (website). Retrieved December 3, 2010 from:< http://www.everglades.org/legal.html> “Man’s impact on the Everglades.” (no date). Retrieved December 3, 2010 from: “Saving the Everglades” (2010) on Environment Florida (website). Retrieved on December 2, 2010 from: “Everglades back on UNESCO threatened list,” June 30, 2010. UPI. Retrieved December 2, 2010 from:< http://celebrifi.com/gossip/Everglades-back-on-UNESCO-threatened-list-3321696.html> Read More