The Everglades form the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Americas. Covering an area of over 20,000 km² – twice the size of the Île-de-France region – its rivers flow exceptionally slowly, at around 400 metres per day. In this national park created in 1934, the Florida panther and the American crocodile rub shoulders with 90 species of mammals and reptiles, but this jewel is threatened by climate change. Because the risk comes from the sea…

A century ago, ponds known as “eternal marshes” covered all of South Florida in the Miami hinterland. In the early 20th century, Florida Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward decided to drain the Everglades in order to irrigate the surrounding farms while gaining land for urban development. To combat this large-scale destruction, a national park was created in 1934.

Native American tribes have lived here in South Florida for at least 10,000 years. But when European settlers arrived in southeastern America in the 16th century, they tried to drive the natives back to small reserves in the west. The Seminole tribesmen then moved to the Everglades, which are difficult for outsiders to explore. They still live there today.

Today, Everglades National Park is covered in sawgrass, a sharp plant that grows in a simulated river a few centimeters high and 80km wide. Visited by around a million people a year, this park is the third largest in the USA, and is crossed by the now-famous hovercraft.
Its fauna is particularly rich: pumas, lynxes, raccoons, flamingos, herons, vultures, pelicans, eagles, manatees, alligators, etc. But its function is not just that of a reserve: the drinking water of nine million people in Florida’s cities depends on the filtering capacities of these marshes.

The main problem is that this paradise of land and water is threatened by rising sea levels.

The arrival of this salt water in freshwater wetlands could have devastating effects. As in the Ganges delta in India and Bangladesh, the landscape could be rapidly transformed, with the gradual destruction of vegetation that has become unsuitable. The lack of fresh water would not only put an end to carbon sequestration by plant organisms, it would also lead to the release into the air of what was stored in peat bogs on the ground.
Because the Everglades have been around for 2 to 5 million years.
An enormous organic peat bog which, over time, has captured large quantities of carbon from the soil.

The Everglades are therefore one of the most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet.

In 2000, the U.S. Congress decided to react. Scientists have devised a complex system of canals, dikes, dams and pumps. Despite significant progress, only one of the 68 major projects in the Year 2000 plan has been completed.
In 2022, President Joe Biden released a $350 million budget for the Everglades, $100 million more than in 2021. In April 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an agreement to build a $3.4 billion reservoir.
Save the reptiles, the pumas and everything else that lives in this unique ecosystem. But also, to preserve fresh water for local populations in Florida who could fall victim to these mutations.
Because the deterioration is accelerating in Florida, it’s a real race against time.