Home Introduction Physical Setting Urbanization Natural Hazards Mineral Resources Water System Environmental Quality > Ecosystem Impact - Pollution - Waste Management - Population Density Outdoor Recreation Everglades N.P. Coastal Zone Fish & Wildlife Miccosukee Indians Conclusion References

South Dade County has flat land, mild weather, plentiful but seasonal rainfall, and a great diversity of plants and animals common to tropical and temperate zones. The mild weather, clear skies and water, and sunny beaches attract people to the region. Tropical storms and diseases are unfavorable aspects.

Before man arrived in numbers, much of the area was marsh or wet prairie, but sizable areas were forested. The largest forests, predominantly pine and tropical hardwoods, occupied the coastal ridge. The forests and prairies were choice habitats for deer, bear, and panther. The coastal areas were forested by tropical hardwoods and palms on elevated land above the tidal influence and by salt-tolerant trees such as mangroves and buttonwood on land periodically flooded by salt or brackish water.

Marine life, in the area was essentially tropical. The clear, warm waters allowed the development of diverse and productive coral reef communities, the northernmost limit of such reefs. The advent of man has changed life on the land radically and has begun to affect marine life.

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Sloughs are shallow watercourses. Shark River Slough is the largest watercourse through which fresh water flows to the principal estuaries of Everglades National Park. [larger image]		Large areas of original wetland have been drained. The canals have affected the remaining wetlands by reducing the period of flooding, and this has increased the oxidation of soils. [larger image]

Open forests of pine, palms, and hardwoods are choice habitat for deer and other mammals. [larger image]		More than 300 square miles of natural pine and wetland of the Coastal Marsh have been changed to residential or agricultural land in the south Dade area. [larger image]

The red mangroves of the coastal forest are land builders. Their prop roots also provide shelter and a place of attachment for small organisms, and their leaves, which decay in the water, are the main source of food in the estuary. [larger image]		Dredging and filling provide water-front real estate but destroy vital mangrove swamps. [larger image]

A coral reef is a rich diversity of life that thrives only in shallow tropical seas. [larger image]		Coral reefs can be damaged by collection of specimens, increased silt from dredge and fill, and pollution from ships and from land. [larger image]

Color infrared photography of south Dade County (1973) vividly shows man’s impact on the land. This image is from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [larger image]

Dredging and filling of estuarine areas has seriously altered north Biscayne Bay and is a potential hazard to the south Bay. These shallow estuarine waters are important nursery grounds for many marine organisms, including commercially important species. Food for these species is provided by peripheral mangrove swamps and shallow seagrass beds. Destruction of these habitats has seriously reduced the productivity of the Bay.

Man has adversely affected the ecosystem in many other ways, including the introduction of exotic plants and animals, the release of persistent toxic chemicals and excessive nutrients, the cutting of forests, overfishing, and uncontrolled urban sprawl.

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