Everglades National Park

The Everglades National Park is the treasure of South Florida. This large sub-tropical saw-grass marsh region covers approximately 7800 square miles and has been featuring hot humid summers, when 80 percent of rainfall occurs, and mild winters. The whole park is enshrouded with water since its a mass wetland. The Everglades' wetlands contain many million gallons of water that as a matter of fact, this large ecosystem is responsible for supplying fresh water to 8 million people! Although the Everglades is primarily a fresh-water ecosystem, it encompasses nearly 196,280 hectares (485,000 acres) of the salty Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico. This tropical ecosystem has many habitats with a diverse selection of many rare and exotic species of animals and plants on able to thrive in the Everglades ecosystem and they are found no where else on our planet. This is the only known ecosystem on Earth where Alligators and Crocodiles are both able to co-exist. The Everglades National Park contains the largest intact stand of protected mangrove forest in the hemisphere. These mangroves are a vital habitat and nursery for a large variety of marine species. Many endangered animals are found in the depths of the mangrove forests. Mangroves are also essential to humans since they help protect surrounding communities against powerful winds and storm surge of hurricanes in Florida. These plants reduce erosion by stabilizing sediment with their complex root systems. The Everglades is also filled with many different invasive species that can destroy the ecosystem. Florida's laws allow people to kill or capture these species, to remove them from the environment, in order to preserve the ecosystem. Wildfires are common in these forests and they actually are known to preserve the ecosystem, as they clear the way for a complex system of interdependent ecosystems to thrive. The Everglades provides a massive tourist location for its beauty and wildlife sightseeing, as it also pertains to be one of the most important ecosystems on our planet.