Natural Resources and Energy

Natural Resources and Energy: Florida Everglades

Effects of Agriculture

The Everglades' freshwater ecosystem supplies vital services to the local population, such as the maintenance of South Florida's agriculture and drinking water (National Wildlife Preservation, 2012). However, these services are rarely accounted for in decision making in regards to land use and planning. As a result of the natural services being taken for granted, Agricultural scientists agree that modern agriculture faces an environmental calamity. Specifically, " the very nature of the agricultural structure and prevailing policies have led to this environmental crisis by favoring large farm size, specialized production, crop monocultures and mechanization" (Altieri, 2001).

The absence of diversifications and rotations of crops, necessary for the self-regulating process, induces the agroecosystems to rely on vast amounts of chemicals, such as fertilizer nutrients. Moreover, crops ineffectively absorb the chemical fertilizers, thus contaminating the surface and ground water. According to Altieri (2001), "In the U.S. It is estimated that about 50-70% of all nutrients that reach surface waters is derived from fertilizers." This type of agricultural development is not sustainable in the long run and further growth in this type of farming threatens to damage the capacity of the ecosystem to regenerate itself through natural processes.

In a freshwater ecosystem, the sun shines on the water and aids the growth of the algae. The alga provides oxygen for various animals such as fish, and supplies food for microorganisms which have an important role in the local ecosystem. The variety of smaller fish that consume the microorganisms, also process oxygen and emit carbon dioxide, which serves as an asset to the flora uses carbon dioxide to develop. Consequently, without the algae, the lake's ecosystem becomes disrupted (New Hampshire Public Television, 2012).

The consequence of such land use leads to elevated levels of nutrients in the freshwater ecosystems, such as the Everglades, which can ultimately lead to the eradication of all wildlife in the aquatic systems. Furthermore, the contamination of the natural systems in this manner has also been linked to health hazards to humans, such as esophageal, gastric, and bladder cancers. Therefore there is sufficient evidence to suggest that intervening actions must be taken to preserve the integrity of the natural ecosystem before the damages become irreversible. Furthermore, it may be the case that the negative environmental impacts cannot now be undone. Rather, mitigation of some of the worst effects may be the best possible outcome.

Effects of Human Population