The Everglades is a vast, interconnected wetland system spanning over two million acres across South Florida, renowned globally for its unique landscape and ecological significance. Marjory Stoneman Douglas famously called this region the “River of Grass,” highlighting the slow, sheet-like flow of water from Lake Okeechobee southward to Florida Bay. This subtropical wilderness is the largest of its kind in the United States and has earned multiple international designations, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. Preserving this natural marvel is a fundamental requirement for the region’s long-term environmental and economic stability.
Unique Biological Importance
The Everglades is a global biodiversity hotspot, hosting a unique mix of species due to its location at the interface of North America’s temperate climate and the Caribbean’s tropical climate. This convergence allows for an unusual assemblage of flora and fauna, supporting over 2,000 plant and animal species, including many of Florida’s rare and endangered wildlife.
Protection of this habitat is the primary defense for animals like the Florida panther, which remains one of the most imperiled mammals in the eastern United States. The park also provides refuge for the West Indian manatee and the American crocodile, the only place where both the crocodile and the American alligator coexist naturally. Furthermore, the Everglades is a significant corridor for migratory birds, with over 360 species recorded, and contains the most substantial breeding grounds for wading birds in North America.
The complex network of nine distinct ecosystems, including cypress swamps, sawgrass prairies, and mangrove forests, sustains species found nowhere else. Two species, the Cape Sable seaside sparrow and the Florida leafwing butterfly, are endemic to the Everglades and the immediately adjacent lands. The health of these diverse habitats is directly tied to the quantity and quality of the water flowing through the system.
Safeguarding Regional Water Resources
The Everglades system performs an indispensable hydrological function by acting as the primary recharger for the Biscayne Aquifer, the underground reservoir that supplies drinking water for millions of South Florida residents. This porous limestone aquifer is the sole source of freshwater for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties. The slow, natural flow of water across the landscape allows this water to percolate down, replenishing the underground supply.
This natural water flow also provides a crucial service by filtering water, removing pollutants and sediments before they enter the aquifer or coastal waters. The extensive wetlands and sawgrass prairies function as a natural purification system, which helps maintain the high quality of the region’s drinking water supply. Without this filtration, the cost and energy required for municipal water treatment would increase substantially, possibly necessitating expensive infrastructure like desalination plants.
Maintaining the freshwater pressure from the Everglades is also the principal defense against saltwater intrusion into the coastal aquifer. Seawater is denser than freshwater, and if the water table is lowered by excessive drainage or reduced flow, the saltwater boundary naturally moves inland through the porous limestone. This has already led to the contamination and loss of municipal water supply wells in areas such as Dania Beach and Hallandale Beach. Restoration efforts, which aim to restore the natural sheet flow, are directly linked to securing the long-term viability of the region’s freshwater supply for approximately one-third of all Floridians.
Economic Contributions and Stability
A healthy Everglades is an economic powerhouse for South Florida, fueling a “Clean Water Economy” that generates billions in annual revenue. The ecosystem’s services contribute an estimated $31.5 billion to the local economy each year, a value that is strongly linked to the region’s largest economic sectors, particularly real estate and tourism.
Recreation and tourism alone generate approximately $8.5 billion annually, drawing visitors for activities like airboat tours, birdwatching, and fishing. The pristine environment enhances property values, adding an estimated $9.2 billion in value to the regional real estate market. Commercial fishing, which relies on the health of the estuarine nursery habitats in the Everglades, also contributes a significant $26.7 million in annual revenue.
Investments in Everglades restoration projects have been shown to yield a substantial financial return, with studies suggesting a four-to-one economic benefit for every dollar invested. This return is achieved through increased real estate values, enhanced tourism, and reduced costs for water treatment and storm damage. A decline in ecosystem health, marked by issues like toxic algae blooms, directly diminishes the value of these sectors, proving that environmental protection is a sound economic strategy.
Ecosystems as Coastal Defense
The extensive coastal components of the Everglades, most notably its mangrove forests, serve as a formidable natural barrier against severe weather events. These forests represent the largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem in North America and are instrumental in dissipating the energy of storm surges. The dense, complex root systems of mangroves stabilize the shoreline and reduce the velocity and height of incoming waves.
This physical buffering capacity significantly reduces inland flooding and protects coastal infrastructure and property. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the presence of mangroves was estimated to have saved the region $725 million in property damage by reducing flooding by 14%. More recently, the mangroves are credited with cutting storm surge damage by nearly 30% during Hurricane Ian, averting an estimated $4.1 billion in losses.
By absorbing the shock of hurricanes and tropical storms, the wetlands and mangroves prevent extensive erosion of the coastline. These natural defenses offer a more resilient and sustainable form of protection compared to costly, man-made structures like seawalls. Preserving the integrity of the Everglades’ coastal ecosystems is an essential, cost-effective strategy for hazard mitigation in the face of rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms.