Paradise Lost: Environmental Change and Ecological Impacts

Abstract

Miami Dade County is at the southern end of a large complex watershed from the central Florida Lake District to Florida Bay. Changes in the hydrology and water flow across the landscape allowed for the development of vibrant and expensive coastal real estate. Unfortunately, lessons learned on the role and value of ecosystems services came too late. The loss of valuable systems, like coastal dunes that sustain beaches, forced engineered solutions to protect the built environment. With sea level rise, the restoring of flood-regulating ecosystem services may be the key to survival for individual neighborhoods of MDC. This chapter outlines the ecological changes across South Florida, and examines the value of existing and restored wetlands in reducing flood risks. The value of ecosystems services changes across the built landscape, and these services require a source of funding to restore or expand freshwater and coastal wetlands.