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Defining Everglades Restoration Success* *i.e., “millions of crayfish”

COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN. Defining Everglades Restoration Success* *i.e., “millions of crayfish”. October, 2007. John C. Ogden, Chief Scientist, Everglades Restoration Planning Department, SFWMD. Ecosystem Restoration – a Definition.

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Defining Everglades Restoration Success* *i.e., “millions of crayfish”

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  1. COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN Defining Everglades Restoration Success* *i.e., “millions of crayfish” October, 2007 John C. Ogden, Chief Scientist, Everglades Restoration Planning Department, SFWMD

  2. Ecosystem Restoration – a Definition “Restoration means the reestablishment of pre-disturbance aquatic functions and related physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Restoration is different from habitat creation, reclamation, and rehabilitation… …The objective is to emulate a natural, self-regulating system that is integrated ecologically with the landscape in which it occurs” NRC, 1992

  3. CERP Vision - I “ Success for the natural system will be to recover and sustain those essential hydrological and biological characteristics that both defined the original pre-drainage greater Everglades and made it unique among the world’s wetlands. ”

  4. “ …Although the future Everglades ecosystem will be a “new” Everglades because it will be smaller than the pre-drainage system, restoration will have been successful if the new system responds to the recovery of these defining characteristics by functionally behaving as a wild Everglades system rather than as a set of managed, disconnected wetlands. ” Design Coordination Team 2003 CERP Vision - II

  5. Two Categories of CERP Natural System Goals 1. A Restored Ecosystem: A wetland that resembles the pre-drainage condition, i.e., “true restoration” as defined by NRC. 2. A Healthy Ecosystem: A wetland that is substantially improved based on non-restoration criteria.

  6. “True” Restoration RECOVER uses all available sources of information to define the pre-drainage characteristics (“defining characteristics”) of the greater Everglades wetlands - as a basis for recommending performance measures and assessing progress (Interim Goals) towards meeting program goals.

  7. “Healthy” Ecosystem RECOVER uses different, non-restoration criteria as a basis for recommending performance measures and assessing progress (Interim Goals) towards achieving a substantial improvement in some valued components or purposes. Examples include endangered species, and desired commercial and recreational fisheries.

  8. The Everglades’ Defining Characteristics Those physical and ecological components and functions that defined the Greater Everglades as an ecosystem that is different (unique) from all other wetland systems, and which describe the most fundamental relationships and components of the system. Collectively, these characteristics describe the Everglades - the physical, ecological, and biological qualities of the region; without these characteristics it is no longer “The Everglades!”

  9. Total System Defining Physical Characteristics: • Large Spatial Extent • Low Nutrient, Freshwater Wetlands • Dynamic Surface and Groundwater Hydrology • Surface Water Connectivity & Sheetflow • Wet Season Fire Patterns • Peat & Marl Soils • Low Salinity & Hydrology Gradients • Sub-tropical System

  10. Total System Defining Ecological Characteristics & Attributes- I: • Highly Productive, Dynamically Sustainable Estuaries • SAV-Phytoplankton Balance • Oysters • Nitrogen-Phosphorous Balance • Nursery & Refugia Function • Oligotrophic Freshwater Wetlands • Soil & Surface Water Nutrients • Periphyton Community • Vegetation Mosaics • Complex Landscape Gradients & Interactions • Short-Long Hydroperiod Interactions • Freshwater-Estuarine Interactions • Hydrologic Connectivity

  11. Total System Defining Ecological Characteristics & Attributes - II: • Animals with Large Spatial Requirements • Florida Panther • White Ibis • Wood Stork • Snail Kite • Abundant, Large Aquatic Vertebrates & Aquatic Prey • American Alligator • White Ibis • Wood Stork • Crayfish

  12. Defining & Measuring Success Adaptive Management True Restoration Defining Characteristics Performance Measures Restoration Report Card CERP Goals System Status Report MAP Other Desired Values & Purposes Interim Goals Ecological Health Performance Measures 5-Year Report Congress

  13. Defining Success –Final Thoughts • Set a Goal = “True restoration of an Everglades ecosystem will have been achieved when the defining characteristics are recovered…” • But = “…natural systems are self-regulating and dynamic and… it is not possible to know in advance exactly what can or will be achieved. Thus, ecosystem restoration is an enterprise with scientific uncertainty that requires continual testing of assumptions and monitoring of progress.” NRC, 2006.

  14. Thank You

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