Habitat Loss, Everglades

"Between 1940-1980, the populations of Dade, Broward and West Palm Beach Counties increased by 830 percent to 3.2 million people (U.S. Department of Commerce 1980). This rapid population growth has led to the conversion of the eastern 12 percent of the Everglades. Habitat alteration and outright loss have endangered a number of plant and animal species. There has been an approximate 90 percent decline in wading bird abundance over the last century. The invasion by the Australian tree Melaleuca has been a minor ecological disaster. Many species of introduced fish and lizards have displaced native species. Fourteen plants and nine vertebrates are Federally listed. In sum, it is estimated that no more than two percent of the original Everglades ecosystem is truly intact. However, about 30 percent of this unit remains in an altered state that could be restored with proper management described below."