The Vital Importance of the Unique Everglades Ecosystem

Everglades National Park ecosystem

Everglades National Park.

Throughout the world, there are places of unmatched beauty, biodiversity, and uniqueness of landscape. The Everglades is just one such place. The ecosystem of the Everglades is diverse, sensitive, and almost timeless, but humans have, over the centuries, continued to encroach upon this unique landscape. Waters were diverted for human purposes and land reclaimed, continually shrinking the size of the once-massive Everglades to the smaller, at-risk environment we see today. A variety of factors have led to the dramatic decrease in the size of the Everglades.

The Everglades once stretched some 11,000 square miles. In the 20th century, land was reclaimed so as to allow for settlers to build homes, reducing the size of the Everglades bit by bit. As time and human presence increased, water from the Everglades began to be diverted for human and agricultural use. This has caused a dramatic decrease in the size of the Everglades of the centuries. Protections are finally now in place to help save what is left of a unique and important ecosystem.

Countless plant and animal species make the Everglades their home and the more we have encroached upon the wilds, the more competitive and tentative the survival of all species in the ecosystem becomes. Resources are more scarce and competition is more fierce as displaced creatures try to find a niche for themselves in the smaller territory.

Not only are there many plants and animals that are unique to the Everglades, there is also a vast amount of human history in the Everglades as well. Seminole and Micosukee Everglades Native Americans once called this unique ecosystem home and thus, have a rich cultural heritage. A variety of different tribes inhabited this region until they began to be pushed out in the sad sequence of events that culminated in the Trail of Tears.

The Everglades are a beautiful and important ecosystem. It is a diverse and dynamic ecosystem that has hosted a variety of plant, animal, and even human life over the centuries. This once huge ecosystem has slowly been reduced to the much smaller tract of land that is today encompassed by the Everglades National Park. This is a sensitive landscape that should be enjoyed without undue stress put on the natural balance of the environment. The part still boasts a wide range of different types of plants and animals, as well as exhibits that document the Native American culture and influence on these unique lands.

Want to explore this beautiful ecosystem first hand? Come out on the water for an airboat ride with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. You’ll experience this area like never before. To book a ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.