Journal #9

It is no doubt that Global warming is upon us and it is affecting many habitats on Earth. One of which is in our own backyard- the Everglades. The Everglades is a series of freshwater marshes that has been reduced to less than half of its former size due to irresponsible land use practices. This preserve is home to thousands of species of animals and is undeniably a vast landscape of timeless beauty. The documentary shown in class on the Everglades was very informative and eye-opening. Once covering 11,000 square miles, the Everglades is drastically reducing in size. This large reduction is devastating many species that inhibit the Southwest Florida region, especially water birds. They are perhaps the most elegant and interesting species in the Everglades. Birds are extremely important to the ecosystem and do many things for our Southern FL environment including; boosting tree growth by removing parasites and damaging insects, naturally garden by transferring seeds, and also help with pollination.These Florida birds are very important to the environment in many ways; they eat bugs including mesquites that carry diseases. Without birds we would become overrun with creatures, they are considered watchers of unseen nature. Many birds in the Southern Florida area are seed dispersers and seed dispersing is a very important ecological process that impacts evolution in the many habitats of Florida. Protecting birds not only serves us humans directly by increasing the quality of air, abundance of plants and trees, and limiting insect population, but helps those of us who are consumed by our daily lives to appreciate life and connect with nature much more. I learned that birds are indeed a necessary component of ecosystems, which we need for our own survival. We must remember that us as humans need the environment, the environment does not need us.

Photo courtesy of Natural sciences.org