For the past two years, projects that focus on restoring Everglades have been continuous. There have been great improvements in these projects, but where exactly are they in terms of completion? Are there factors that hinder a speedy development of these projects? These questions call for an assessment and evaluation of projects that seek to restore Everglades.
According to a mandated report from the National Research Council, financial, procedural, and legal factors are the main hindrances for a faster completion of restoration projects. This report was filed by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and is the fifth in a series of biennial evaluations. CERP is a multibillion-dollar undertaking that started in the 2000s. The main objective of this plan was to solve and stop the decline of the area’s ecosystem as well as to create a water system that can serve as a resource for natural and agricultural needs of those living in southern Florida.
As of October 2011, the Central Everglades Planning Project proposed a number of projects that would focus on preserving the ecosystems in the area. These projects are centered on building a new water flow at Everglades taking up around two-thirds of the land that CERP was supposed to use. They continuously urge CERP to approve and hasten the implementation of the project so that environment degradation will be put to a stop. However, if this plan is not put into action, water distribution will not be possible even by 2035. Moreover, with the allotted money of $100M per year being too small, the plan will take a much longer time to be completed, say four more decades.
Mentioned earlier are the factors that slow down the actualization of this project. For one, even if the Water Resources Development Act of 2014 allowed federal funding for CERP, the Central Everglades Planning Project proposal was not finished in time to be included in the act. The Water Resources Development Act was supposed to allow CERP projects to be authorized when their total cost is more than $25M. Also, the insufficient funds should be recognized as a central limitation of CERP. Since the budget is not enough, all the projects under CERP will not be implemented immediately. Because of this, some projects will be greatly affected by external factors. Examples of these factors are climate change and the change in sea levels.
To be able to adjust for climate change, adaptive management planning should be applied to both the project and the whole system of the restoration of any watersheds. There should also be a certain amount of flexibility that makes an allowance on the possible impact of climate change on the project plans. When this is done, projects can be more adaptive and responsive to the conditions they are currently facing. On the other hand, sea-level changes affect the saltwater intrusion into the fresh waters of Everglades. When this happens, the ecosystems that thrive on fresh water are affected in terms of volume and quality and this, in turn, damages the living organisms. Since these are the adverse effects of having a prolonged CERP development, restoration efforts should be more sped up. If this project is successful, it can greatly improve Everglades’ wetlands that are slowly being wiped out today because of high levels of the sea.
One aspect of the restoration of Everglades is its non-native species. This is important to consider given that the high levels of seawater bring with them non-native organisms that disrupt the original ecosystem of the freshwater species. Moreover, if the projects end up bringing more non-native species than was expected, further research should be done so that a working co-habitation with both native and non-native species can take place. Of course, this is not possible if extensive research will not take place. A recommendation would be to hire experts who have a comprehensive understanding of all non-native species found in Everglades. They should also be able to impart knowledge on the habitats, living conditions, and the threats they can possibly face with the completion of the new projects. When this is settled, the research should be able to determine and recommend possible areas for action to prevent damages and disasters in the habitats and relationships of species.
In the end, what is crucial for the restoration of Everglades is the research behind it. All projects under CERP should be backed up by the long-term monitoring of climate change, sea levels, and ecosystems. When research and information have been gathered, it is also important to use these vital pieces of data in order to solve Everglades’ problem. Finally, as with any project, there should be a constant re-assessment and re-evaluation of the progress and the adequacy of the projects. This helps in adjusting budgets, implementation time frames, and possible impacts of external factors. It also gives a renewed attention to finances, science research, and main goals of the project.
