Everglades National Park ecological uniqueness

Everglades National Park - Main Facts

in Dade , Monroe , and Collier Counties (Park Statistics 2007

Authorized : May 10 , 1934

Established : December 6 , 1947

Designated Wetland of International Importance on June 4 , 1987

The Uniqueness of Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park is located in the southern tip of Florida . It is the largest subtropical wilderness in North America . Its including expansion (water and land ) makes up 2 ,358 square miles Everglades ' designated wilderness is 524 ,686 hectares

Everglades National Park was created in to preserve the unique fauna and flora of

historic values the essential primitive natural conditions now prevailing in this area (Everglades National Park Information 2007 . It is the first national park that was preserved predominantly because of its variety and abundance of life , rather than because of its historic or scenic values

The project of Everglades National Park was made by Ernest F . Coe , a Yale-educated landscape architect . From the very beginning the park was much smaller in size (186 ,159 hectares . However , since 1947 the size of the park has considerably increased to 497 ,167 hectares (in 1950 ) and to 566 ,788 hectares by 1958 . Additionally , in 1989 the eastern boundary of the park was expanded by 44 ,112 hectares , mainly to protect and restore its natural ecosystem (Everglades National Park Information 2007

Everglades National Park is known for its wide variety of flora and fauna . Epiphytic orchids and Bromeliads are the Everglades most prominent plants . Approximately 25 varieties of orchids grow in the park along with more than 1 ,000 other seed-bearing plants and 120 species of trees . More than 36 endangered or threatened animal species are known to occur in Everglades National Park , such as crocodile (Crocodylus acutus , the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis , the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus , the Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi , and the Cape Sable seaside sparrow (Ammodramus maritima mirabilis (Everglades National Park Information 2007 , to mention a few

Conservation Efforts

Everglades National Park faces plenty of threats , such as draining dredging and many others . In addition , there is a concern about so-called `edge effects ' Edge effects refer to the idea that residents near parks bring pets that prey on wildlife , lead to urban-type development that increases storm runoff and often drive off-highway vehicles that bring intrusions and noise (Developers covet areas 2007 . The harmful side effects of human intrusions are conductive to the degradation of the ecosystem , especially taking into account the fact that over five million people live next to Everglades National Park

Besides , there are plenty of sugar plantations to the south of the Lake Okeechobee , huge farms , and cities . Moreover , the cities and farms pose a threat to Everglades ' ecosystem , taking the water the park requires to survive . In to solve the problem and to protect the unique Everglades ' ecosystem , the federal and state governments embark upon numerous restoration and protection projects

There were many engineering projects ranged from land reclamation and drainage (after 1928 ) to flood control . Within the course of the years the...