The environment of Florida in the United States yields an array of land and marine life in a mild subtropical climate. This environment has drawn millions of people to settle in the once rural state over the last hundred years. Florida's population increases by about 1,000 residents each day.[1] Land development and water use have transformed the state, primarily through drainage and infill of the wetlands that once covered most of the peninsula.
Much of Florida consists of karst limestone veined with water-filled caves and sinkholes,[2] which provide homes to many species of aquatic life, some unique to particular Florida locations.[3] As urban and suburban development have increased over the last decades, demand for groundwater has also risen, resulting in damage and drying out of portions of the cave system. This has led to ground subsidence as dry caves collapse, threatening property as well as ecosystems.[4]
Restoration of the Everglades has long been recognized as an environmental priority in the state. In 2000, Congress passed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a $7.8 billion, 30-year project aimed at preservation and restoration of the region and its unique combination of environments.[5]
By 2018, 30% of the land area of the state was in conservation.[6]
- ^ Clouser, Rodney L; Cothran, Hank (August 2005). "Issues at the Rural-Urban Fringe: Florida's Population Growth, 2004-2010". University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Archived from the original on 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ "DRAM, FGS, Sinkholes in Florida". Florida Department of State. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ^ "Life in a Spring". Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ Tihansky, Anne B. "Sinkholes, West-Central Florida" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ^ "CERP:FAQs". Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ Peterson, Dan (February 10, 2018). "Here are 4 Florida environmental priorities for 2018". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 12A. Retrieved February 11, 2018.