High Five Florida!

Florida’s “Big Five” are panthers, alligators, its beaches, the everglades, and oranges. Over the last twenty years there has been a dramatic change to most of the things on this list. The number of living Florida panthers is very low. The Florida panther was placed on the states endangered species list in 1973 and since then numbers are decreasing at a much slower rate, but they are still dropping because of habitat loss and contact with humans. The Florida Everglades, where panthers were once very abundant, now holds very few of these mammals and the Everglades it self is in danger. From the beginning, the Everglades were actively drained using pump systems and the planting of Melaleuca trees. Although it was realized that the everglades should be preserved and not drained, it was impossible to remove all of the trees harming it because they are an exotic species and have no natural predators or diseases to kill them off. Where as draining is not as large of a problem for the everglades now, industrial development near by is. Building infrastructure so close to the wetlands allows for pollution in the air, pollution in run off, and it creates more contact with humans and the native species. Alligator numbers in Florida have dropped as well. Although the animals are not apart of the endangered species list, their numbers are very important to Florida’s habitats. There are certain hunting seasons when it is legal to poach alligators, but their numbers should continue to be preserved because they are a keystone species in the everglades. As for the beaches in Florida, there has also been a change in the last twenty years. You could go to almost any part of Florida’s coast and notice the receding shoreline. Because of the beauty beaches provide, development on the coast for homes is becoming more and more common. Most of the time, dredging and other tactics that mess up sand distribution are used. Other than homes being built, inlets are designed, sea walls are put up, and jetties are built. All of these man-made projects interrupt natural ocean currents, effect sand distribution, cause habitat loss for animals, create pollution, and in the end, destroy the beaches. Although Florida oranges have not had severe problems in the last twenty years, it is possible that they may in the near future. Factors from global warming and climate change have allowed for very strange weather. Just recently Florida went through a series of freeze periods where farmers were struggling to keep their crops alive. If strange weather patterns continue, the fruit that Florida is known for could be in trouble.