The Everglades Ecosystem: Under Protection or Under Threat?

Abstract

The Everglades constitute a unique ecosystem situated in Southern Florida. This marshy region was considered as inhospitable in the nineteenth century. The transformation of Florida into a vacation and retirement paradise during the twentieth century was made possible by draining and developing vast portions of the wetlands for agricultural and urban purposes, which dramatically altered the Everglades by taking its freshwater supply necessary for a tremendous population growth. The purpose of our paper is to explore the environmental disaster left by human beings over this unique ecosystem and to focus on the recent attempts at restoring the remaining Everglades. Can this threatened ecosystem be saved ?