Harwell MA, Long JF, Bartuska AM, Gentile JH, Harwell CC, Myers V, Ogden JC
Center for Marine and Environmental Analyses, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33149, USA
Environ Manage. 1996 Jul;20(4):497-521. doi: 10.1007/BF01474652.
The ecosystems of South Florida are unique in the world. The defining features of the natural Everglades (large spatial scale, temporal patterns of water storage and sheetflow, and low nutrient levels) historically allowed a mosaic of habitats with characteristic animals. Massive hydrological alterations have halved the Everglades, and ecological sustainability requires fundamental changes in management.The US Man and the Biosphere Human-Dominated Systems Directorate is conducting a case study of South Florida using ecosystem management as a framework for exploring options for mutually dependent sustainability of society and the environment. A new methodology was developed to specify sustainability goals, characterize human factors affecting the ecosystem, and conduct scenario/consequence analyses to examine ecological and societal implications. South Florida has sufficient water for urban, agricultural, and ecological needs, but most water drains to the sea through the system of canals; thus, the issue is not competition for resources but storage and management of water. The goal is to reestablish the natural system for water quantity, timing, and distribution over a sufficient area to restore the essence of the Everglades.The societal sustainability in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is at risk because of soil degradation, vulnerability of sugar price supports, policies affecting Cuban sugar imports, and political/economic forces aligned against sugar production. One scenario suggested using the EAA for water storage while under private sugar production, thereby linking sustainability of the ecological system with societal sustainability. Further analyses are needed, but the US MAB project suggests achieving ecological sustainability consistent with societal sustainability may be feasible.
南佛罗里达的生态系统在世界上独一无二。天然大沼泽地的显著特征（大空间尺度、蓄水和片流的时间模式以及低营养水平）历史上孕育了有着特色动物的多样化栖息地。大规模的水文改造使大沼泽地面积减半，生态可持续性要求管理方式发生根本性改变。美国人与生物圈计划人类主导系统局正在以南佛罗里达为案例进行研究，将生态系统管理作为一个框架，用以探索社会与环境相互依存的可持续发展的选项。已开发出一种新方法来明确可持续发展目标、描述影响生态系统的人为因素，并进行情景/后果分析，以审视生态和社会影响。南佛罗里达有足够的水满足城市、农业和生态需求，但大部分水通过运河系统排入大海；因此，问题不是资源竞争，而是水的储存和管理。目标是在足够大的区域内重新建立水量、时间和分布的自然系统，以恢复大沼泽地的本质。由于土壤退化、糖价支持的脆弱性、影响古巴食糖进口的政策以及不利于食糖生产的政治/经济力量，大沼泽地农业区（EAA）的社会可持续性面临风险。一种情景建议在私人食糖生产的同时利用EAA进行蓄水，从而将生态系统的可持续性与社会可持续性联系起来。还需要进一步分析，但美国人与生物圈计划项目表明，实现与社会可持续性相一致的生态可持续性或许是可行的。
