Everglade Restoration a Man-Made Disaster

Eight years after the creation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a long-term initiative to save the Everglades region, the effort has failed to make significant progress in rescuing what the plan calls “a dying ecosystem.” Approved by Congress as part of the 2000 Water Resources Development Act, CERP was pegged to cost the state of Florida and the federal government $7.8 billion dollars and was expected to take 30 years to complete. But the costs have since ballooned and the 30-year end date now looks increasingly optimistic. The goal of the project, which covers 18,000 square miles, is to “restore, protect, and preserve the water resources of central and southern Florida.” According to a congressionally-mandated report by the National Research Council, not a single CERP project had been completed as of September 2008. Although the plan calls for some 50 major projects, as of July 2008 at least four were under construction, while four pilot projects were in the installation phase. Florida has committed more than $2 billion for the plan, but the federal government has appropriated only several hundred million dollars — far below what the project calls for. Federal funding for the plan has been tied up in a complex system where each project must go through a yearly review, authorization, and funding request phase. CERP has also been criticized for deficiencies in statewide planning. The Everglades, meanwhile, continues to deteriorate. Scientists warn that 67 endangered species are imperiled and that the region’s unique ecosystem, which has already shrunk to half its historic size, may soon suffer irreversible losses. If that happens, local wildlife may not be the only victims — at risk is the water source for millions of residents, as well as such industries as commercial and recreational fishing, farming, and tourism.

Follow-up:
The National Research Council (NRC), part of the congressionally-chartered National Academy of Sciences, has suggested a reorganization of how CERP receives money, with projects funded in a multiyear format and grouped together to allow for better planning. A CERP spokesman said in a statement that the project agrees with the NRC’s findings that CERP has been hurt by limited federal funding and a complex and lengthy federal planning process. If not addressed, he added, the funding issues could create “additional constraints to CERP and restoration progress in the coming years.” The same spokesman confirmed that there are no set dates for the projects to be completed.

Photo credit: National Park Service

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