February 2nd marks World Wetlands Day, dedicated to recognizing the importance of wetland ecosystems worldwide. Wetland ecosystems have been declining worldwide mainly due to urban development and agricultural expansion. Wetlands are defined as an area of land saturated by water either permanently or seasonally. These ecosystems exist worldwide and play fundamental roles in the overall health of local environments. These areas, as you will see, support various organisms and perform a specific role needed to support them. There is a wide variety of wetlands across the globe that abide in different areas and habitats. Florida has saltwater and freshwater wetlands that span coastal and inland areas throughout the state.
Saltwater (Coastal) Wetlands
Coastal wetlands cover about 40 million acres and makeup 38 percent of the total wetland acreage within the boundaries of the United States. The northeast Gulf of Mexico shoreline alone contains about 60 percent of the coastal and freshwater marshes in the United States, including 400,000 to 500,000 acres of salt marsh in northern Florida alone. These saltwater wetland ecosystems like saltwater marshes and mangroves occur in coastal intertidal zones and can be found all along the coasts of Florida. These wetlands and the species that inhabit them have adapted to the saltwater covering them for extended periods of time and support organisms that tolerate salinity changes. Coastal wetlands support organisms that are adapted to live in these dynamic communities and provide protection and stability for coastal areas. They are also the nurseries of the ocean providing a protective haven for many important economic and ecological ocean species to reproduce and grow.
Freshwater Wetlands
Everglades National Park is a federally protected area in south Florida that provides habitat for many different species like the American alligator, manatee, and Florida panther. Everglades National Park, founded in 1947, was the first national park designated to protect an ecological system. Since then, the Everglades National Park and the Everglades have also been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance. The Everglades National Park contains several examples of saltwater and freshwater wetlands. The Everglades ecosystem includes wetland areas that span from the center of the state to the east, west and southward to Florida Bay. Conservation of these freshwater wetlands is critical to the survival of many species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. In addition, the Everglades are an essential part of recharging the aquifers in Florida which provide drinking water for millions of people.
Florida Wetlands: Gulf Coast Salt Marshes (ufl.edu)
Florida: Everglades National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)